Canada's new prime minister will call for early elections on April 28th

Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney, will announce early parliamentary elections on Sunday, scheduled for April 28, a government source told AFP on Thursday.

Carney, who succeeded Justin Trudeau as prime minister last week, seeks to secure a parliamentary majority for his Liberal Party amid rising tensions with the United States.

"The prime minister will announce on Sunday that an election will be held on April 28," a source requesting anonymity told the news agency. Carney has yet to make an official statement.

The ruling Liberal Party seeks to emphasize the experience of the former central banker to reassure Canadians amid a tariff war with their neighbor, which could severely impact the economy.

Carney, 60, a political newcomer with no experience as an MP or minister, must shape his campaign while facing threats from Donald Trump.

The U.S. president has escalated a trade war with Canada through tariff hikes and has repeatedly claimed that the "only sensible thing" for the country to do is to become the 51st state of the United States.

These threats have dominated Canadian politics for weeks and are set to be the central issue in the upcoming election campaign.