Mark Carney will become Canada’s next prime minister after the governing Liberal Party elected him its leader Sunday. The country is dealing with US President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threat, while a federal election looms.
Carney, 59, replaces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remains prime minister until his successor is sworn in in the coming days. Carney won in a landslide, winning 85.9 per cent of Liberal Party voters.
Carney is an experienced financier who navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada and, in 2013, became the first noncitizen to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. His appointment won bipartisan praise in the UK after Canada recovered from the 2008 financial crisis faster than many other countries.
The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surged. However, the events of recent weeks have flipped the script in favour of the now resurgent Liberals.
Trump’s trade war and his talk of making Canada the 51st US state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games. Some are canceling trips south of the border, and many are avoiding buying American goods when they can.
The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered the Liberal Party’s chances in a parliamentary election expected within days or weeks, and Liberal showings have been improving steadily in opinion polls.
“We have made this the greatest country in the world and now our neighbors want to take us. No way,” Carney said.
After decades of bilateral stability, the vote on Canada’s next leader is now expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with the United States.
Since declaring his candidacy in January, Carney has received endorsements from Cabinet ministers and members of Parliament. He is a highly educated economist with Wall Street experience who has long been interested in entering politics and becoming prime minister, but he lacks political experience.
The 59-year-old newly minted leader of Canada’s Liberals previously held the position of Governor of the Bank of England for a lengthy term, from 2013 to 2020, giving him key insight into national and global economics while his country is engaged in a tariff war with US President Trump.
The other top Liberal leadership candidate was former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Trudeau told Freeland in December that he no longer wanted her as finance minister, but that she could remain deputy prime minister and the point person for US-Canada relations.
Freeland resigned shortly after, releasing a scathing letter about the government that proved to be the last straw for Trudeau.
Carney is expected to trigger an election in short order. Either the new Liberal party leader will call one, with a deadline of October, or the opposition parties in Parliament could force one with a no-confidence vote later this month.
After his win was announced, the new Liberal leader said: “Who is ready to stand up for Canada with me?
“Yes Canada, the Liberal Party is united and strong and ready to fight to build an even better country.”
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