Canada's Carney calls snap election

OTTAWA — New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap election for April 28, saying he needs a strong mandate to deal with the threat posed by US President Donald Trump, who "wants to break us so America can own us".

The comments showed the extent to which relations between the United States and Canada, two longtime allies and major trading partners, have deteriorated since Trump imposed tariffs on Canada and threatened to annex it as the 51st US state.

Although the next election was not due until Oct 20, Carney is hoping to capitalize on a remarkable recovery by his Liberal Party in the polls since January, when Trump began threatening Canada and former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation.