Winnipeggers weigh options for best candidate to deal with Trump

Who is the lesser evil?

This is the question some Winnipeggers are asking themselves before deciding who they will cast their vote for in the upcoming federal election.

“I have a very strong opinion about politics, so if I’m too lazy to vote, then I shouldn’t be saying anything,” said Henry Sojka, while waiting for a bus in the Exchange District.

Sojka believes the election, called Sunday by Prime Minister Mark Carney for April 28, is a wake-up call for politicians of every party.

“If they weren’t sitting on their hands, we could have had trade agreements already.”

As a result, he’ll vote for the “lesser of evils,” which to him is Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

Voters will have five weeks to decide who will be Canada’s next prime minister and the best person to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats of annexation.

Linda Hart, who was eating lunch at The Forks, said she also planned to vote Tory.

“I’m kind of scared, but at the same time it’s going to be better than what we got,” she said.

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When she thinks about who to vote for, she said she tries to look for who is best for the people.

Doug Bell, on the other hand, said he is tired of what he described as U.S.-style politics, which he said rely on name-calling and slandering instead of taking action.

“To me this election is important so the Conservatives don’t get in,” he said, noting the Liberals replacing Justin Trudeau with Carney was a good move for his financial experience alone.

Alain Wang said it is important to vote because citizens need to send a clear message to the government.

“We’re not working for you. You’re working for us,” he said.

Wang, eating lunch outside Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, said he doesn’t trust Poilievre or Carney, adding it feels like the Liberal leader was deliberately pushed into the role of prime minister.

Ashley Wilson, while having lunch at The Forks, said she hasn’t decided who will get her vote — but she promises to cast one.

“It’s our right,” she said. “If you don’t participate in voting, you’re giving away that opportunity to make an impact.”

One political science expert believes voter turnout could soar as Canada fights a trade war with the U.S.

“Right now with the kind of existential election that this represents in the eyes of many Canadians because of Trump’s tariff threats, I think people are likely to go to the polls in a greater proportion,” said Félix Mathieu, assistant professor in the department of political science at University of Winnipeg.

During the 2021 federal election, voter turnout was 62.6 per cent, Elections Canada stats say.

Mathieu said every percentage point is significant, adding that if voter turnout reached 70 per cent or even the high 60s, that would be an “amazingly high” increase.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca