When Canadians vote in parliamentary elections on April 28, they will essentially be choosing between two starkly different candidates to lead their country through a crisis brought on by President Trump’s tariffs and festering economic and social issues.

Mark Carney, 60, the Liberal Party leader who has been serving as prime minister since early March, is a political novice. He has had a long career in central banking and global finance.

Pierre Poilievre, 45, the Conservative Party leader, has been a politician for most of his adult life and is well known to voters, having meticulously curated his agenda, talking points and image.

Two other candidates are vying to maintain their parties’ representation in Parliament: Jagmeet Singh of the New Democrats, a leftist party that has focused much of its campaign on health care, and Yves-François Blanchet of the Bloc Québécois, which runs candidates only in Quebec. But Mr. Poilievre and Mr. Carney are widely acknowledged to be the only two who can gain enough support to become prime minister.

Mark Carney: The Banker

Mr. Carney is a former central banker who made his first foray into politics by winning the support of Liberal Party members to replace Justin Trudeau as the party’s leader last month.