Mark Carney won the battle to succeed Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister of Canada, vowing in a victory speech to win a trade war with US President Donald Trump as he takes the lead amid deep instability in the country, on Monday, the 10th of March, reports Reuters.
The former Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England overwhelmingly beat three rivals in the Liberal Party leadership election.
Carney won 86% of the vote, with just under 152 000 party members voting.
“There is someone who is trying to weaken our economy,” Carney said of Trump, drawing loud cheers at the party meeting. “He is attacking Canadian workers, families and businesses. We must not let him succeed.”
“It will not be business as usual,” said Carney. “We’re going to have to do things we never imagined before, and at speeds we never thought possible.”
Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his trust rating plummeted, prompting the ruling Liberal Party to call a snap election for his replacement.
Carney is expected to be sworn in as Prime Minister in the coming days and will lead the Liberals into the next general election, which is expected to be called in the coming weeks.
“This is a nationally decisive moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given,” Trudeau said.
Carney, who is new to politics, said he was best placed to revive the party and oversee trade talks with Trump, who has threatened additional tariffs that could devastate Canada’s export-dependent economy.
Trudeau has imposed retaliatory tariffs on Canada in response to Trump’s tariffs.
“My government will maintain the tariffs until the Americans show us respect,” said Carney.
Carney’s victory is the first time an outsider with no real political experience has become Prime Minister of Canada.
He said that as the first person to lead two G7 central banks – Canadian and English – he was best placed to deal with Trump.
The Liberal Party gained strong support as Carney came to power, especially after Trump’s tariffs and his repeated jokes about Canada becoming the 51st US state.
At the beginning of 2025, the party was more than 20 points behind in several polls, but is now statistically on a par with the opposition Conservatives. However, the polls show that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives would be able to form a majority government. Elections must be held by the 20th of October.
On Sunday, dozens of Canadians held posters in front of the Canadian Parliament building in Ottawa protesting against Trump, without any reference to domestic politics.