Mark Carney, the former central bank governor, was announced as the new leader of Canada‘s ruling Liberal Party on Sunday and will become the country’s next prime minister.
Carney won 85.9% of the ballots cast in the Liberal Party leadership vote, according to the final tally.
He succeeded Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January after more than nine years in office.
The new Liberal leader will become prime minister in the coming days, ending the Trudeau era. However, given the Conservatives’ slight lead in the polls, the Liberals’ time in power may be limited.
Carney will need to decide when to call a general election, which must be held no later than October 20.
Carney says US must show Canada respect
Carney, who previously led the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, will first have to contend with tariff threats from US President Donald Trump.
Trump has repeatedly spoken about annexing Canada and has imposed on-again, off-again tariffs, threatening bilateral trade—the lifeblood of the country’s economy.
Trump is “attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We can’t let him succeed,” Carney said.
His predecessor imposed retaliatory tariffs on the US in response to the tariffs that Trump imposed on Canada.
“My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect,” Carney said. He also added, “America is not Canada and Canada never ever will be part of America in any way, shape, or form.”
