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Prime Minister Mark Carney looks set to avoid the embarrassment of facing a no-confidence motion in less than a  fortnight of assuming the office. He is expected to call on the Governor-General March 23 to recommend the dissolution of the House of Commons and the holding of fresh federal elections either on April 28 or May 5.

His 23-member Cabinet has endorsed his proposal of holding a snap poll before the prorogued House resumes its sitting on March 24.  Carney has yet to decide the riding from where he would love to contest the ensuing election.

Two of the three major Opposition parties had been gunning for the Liberal government even after the change of its leadership from Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney.

The Canadian media has been agog with the speculations that Mark Carney will make the final call this weekend, with a snap election slated as early as April 28. The alternate date for the poll could be May 5. The federal elections are otherwise scheduled for the end of October.

Should that happen, Carney, on return from a trip to Europe,  is expected to visit the Governor General and request the dissolution of Parliament. The election campaign lasts for a minimum of 36 days and usually around 40 days.

This will be Canada’s 45th federal election.

Immediate factors behind the current thinking in the Mark Carney Government recommending a snap poll are the rapidly changing economic developments following U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies and rhetoric that have fuelled a rise in Canadian nationalism, strengthening the Liberals’ prospects.

After change of the command, the Liberal's graph has shown upward movement narrowing the gap with the main Opposition party, the Conservatives. Until the turn of the year, the Conservatives were far ahead of the Liberals.

However, with the change in the leadership of the Liberal Party and the tough stand taken by the minority government against the US tariff war threats, the recent opinion polls conducted by different organizations have shown that Liberals have surged ahead of the conservatives.

The Liberals want to capitalize on this surge rather than lose the advantage by facing the ignominy of a no-confidence motion, its third in the last five months.

The latest poll shows the federal Liberals have surged to 42 per cent, five points above the Conservatives and leader Pierre Poilievre. Three months ago, the Liberals were polling at a near-all-time low of just 16 per cent.

Carney was sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister on March 14. The opposition Conservatives wanted the elections with Justin Trudeau still as Prime Minister. The popularity of Justin Trudeau had been on a downward trend following rising living and housing costs besides growing unemployment and immigration surge.

Also Read: Indian-origin leaders get key posts in Canada’s new cabinet 

Immediately after taking over on March 14, Mark Carney held his first Cabinet meeting where among other decisions was the elimination of consumer carbon tax to undo Trudeau’s signature climate policy. He called his government “Canada’s new government” to distance himself from Trudeau.

“We will never, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States,” Carney said. “America is not Canada. We are very fundamentally a different country.”

Mark Carney has already declared that he was ready to meet US President Donald Trump provided he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty. This week, he made his first trip abroad, visiting France and the U.K. before stopping in Iqaluit.

The Canadian and US media have been quoted saying that Donald Trump has expressed his preference for a Liberal victory under Carney over the opposition Conservatives. However, many political pundits have said it’s believed to be posturing by the current U.S. President, who regularly referred to Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau.”

 Trump had announced 25 per cent tariffs on Canada's steel and aluminium besides threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products on April 2. He has threatened economic coercion in his annexation threats and suggested the border is a fictional line.

The U.S. trade war and Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games.