BREAKING: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announces election to be held April 28

“There is more to do to secure Canada… that’s why I’m asking for a strong, positive mandate from my fellow Canadians. I have just requested that the Governor General dissolve parliament and call an election for April 28. She has agreed,” Carney said.

Carney would go on to slam President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to Canada’s sovereignty: “He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen,” said Carney, calling these comments a “betrayal.”

“The best way we can deal with this crisis is to build our strength here at home and help people who will be hit hardest by these tariffs,” Carney said.

He proposed a middle-class tax cut to help Canadians, saying that the lowest income tax bracket would be cut by 1 percent, saying that it would add $825 a year for a two-income family.

Carney was sworn in as prime minister on March 14 after winning the Liberal leadership race days before.

The political landscape in Canada has shifted following Justin Trudeau’s resignation and Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency. Recent polling suggests that the Liberals are gaining momentum, turning what was once a strong Conservative lead into a close race.

According to a Nanos Research survey released Tuesday, the Conservatives hold a narrow one-point lead with 35 percent of voter support, while the Liberals are close behind at 34 percent.

One of the biggest factors influencing voter sentiment appears to be Trump’s trade policies. The same Nanos poll found that US relations, specifically Trump and his trade war, is the top national concern for 26.8 percent of Canadians. Jobs and the economy follow at 16.7 percent.