Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday called for snap elections, citing the need to deal with tariff threats from US President Donald Trump.
Mr Carney said the vote would take place on April 28, allowing for five weeks of campaigning.
"We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump's unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty," Mr Carney said in a televised address.
"Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada," he said.
The development comes more than two months into Mr Trump's second term in office, during which he has upended US foreign policy, including by antagonising long time allies.
The Republican president has already put 25 per cent tariffs on Canada's steel and aluminium and has pledged to impose additional ones on all Canadian imports starting on April 2.
He has also repeatedly said Canada should become the US's 51st state.
"President Trump claims that Canada isn't a real country, he wants to break us so America can own us," Mr Carney said. "We will not let that happen, we're over the shock of the betrayal."
Elections in Canada were due on October 20.
Mr Carney replaced the nation's long time leader Justin Trudeau in March, after he announced his resignation.
