Mark Carney to Replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s Prime Minister

Mark Carney, the former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, has won the leadership race for Canada’s ruling Liberal Party on Sunday. The 59-year-old, with no prior political experience, will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister. Trudeau announced his resignation in January following a sharp decline in his approval ratings after nearly a decade in power.

Reuters reported that Carney, 59, triumphed with 86% of the vote, defeating former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest that saw just under 152,000 party members participate.

Carney’s win comes at a critical juncture, with the country embroiled in a trade war with the United States under President Donald J. Trump. According to Reuters, Carney addressed Trump’s tariffs in his acceptance speech, stating, “There’s someone who’s trying to weaken our economy… He’s attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We can’t let him succeed.”

Reuters reported that Carney has vowed to maintain retaliatory tariffs until the U.S. shows Canada “respect.”

“This won’t be business as usual,” Carney added. “We will have to do things that we haven’t imagined before, at speeds we didn’t think possible.”

According to The Guardian, Carney also seized the moment to directly call out Trump, dismissing his jokes about Canada becoming the 51st US state. He said, “From one old guy to another old guy. Stop this nonsense. Canada will never join the United States.” He added, “No one will starve us into submission because Canada is and will remain the best country in the world. Vive le Canada!”

Carney’s rise to prime minister is historic. His election makes him only the second prime minister in Canadian history without a seat in parliament, reported Reuters.

While there’s no rule preventing this, The Guardian reported that Carney will likely call a federal election shortly after taking office, where he is expected to face Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.