This was a vote against delusions of a ‘51st state’ and economic warfare, rather than an endorsement of the Liberals’ policies

Yesterday, as Canadians went to the polls, the US president, Donald Trump, suggested that if Canada became part of America, they could vote for him instead. But in truth, Canada becoming the 51st state wasn’t a prerequisite for Canadians to vote on Trump. It was Trump who set the stakes of this election anyway, beginning almost as soon as he took office. His threats against Canada, economic and existential, were the backdrop of this campaign. An unexpected crisis on our doorstep.

And now the Liberal party, led by Mark Carney, has won a fourth term in office, a result that would have seemed unthinkable just a few months ago, before Trump’s unprecedented intervention.

Colin Horgan is a Toronto-based writer and a former speechwriter for Justin Trudeau

This piece was updated on 29 April to reflect the fact that the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, has lost his seat