Canada is entering an election campaign as Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve the parliament and called an early election on April 28.
Carney, sworn in as prime minister on March 14 after winning the Liberal leadership race, said he is asking Canadians for a mandate to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump and build an economy that works for everyone.
There is so much more to do to secure Canada, to invest in Canada, to build Canada, to unite Canada, Carney told reporters after the meeting with Simon.
Right before Carney's announcement, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre launched his party's election campaign and said he would stand up to Trump and his threats of annexation.
Poilievre said a "lost Liberal decade" has left Canada weak and vulnerable on the world stage.
In addition, other major parties, including the New Democratic Party, the Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party, also launched their campaigns.
Polls updated on Sunday showed that the Liberals are leading with the potential to win the majority seats of the parliament and the Conservatives are catching up.
According to Elections Canada, the agency responsible for conducting elections, the campaign will end on April 27, one day before the election day.
Canadian PM calls early election in April
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Wednesday in Beijing with Nauruan Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Lionel Aingimea, who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Nauru Embassy in China.
Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that since the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Nauru, both sides have fostered mutual understanding and support, while the pragmatic cooperation has developed comprehensively, bringing tangible benefits to the people of Nauru.
China appreciates Nauru's firm adherence to the one-China policy and believes that Nauru will continue to support China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, thus consolidating the political foundation of bilateral relations, Wang said.
China is willing to deepen cooperation with Nauru in various fields including agriculture and fisheries, sports, marine development, climate change response, and capacity building, Wang said, adding that China congratulates Nauru on the upcoming official opening of its embassy in China and is willing to provide conveniences and assistance for the embassy's operation.
Aingimea, for his part, said that Nauru sincerely thanks China for the valuable assistance provided in infrastructure construction and socio-economic development, which helps improve people's livelihood and sustainable development of Nauru.
Nauru will not waver in its stance of adhering to the one-China principle and looks forward to expanding bilateral cooperation in various fields and pushing bilateral relations to a new level, Aingimea added.
Chinese FM meets Nauruan counterpart
