Former central banker Mark Carney will become Canadian’s next prime minister after the governing liberals elected his leader on Sunday as President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threat and federal elections loom.
Carney, 59, announced his resignation in January but will replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will remain prime minister until his successor is sworn in the coming days. Kearney won on the landslide and won 85.9% of the vote.
“There are people trying to weaken our economy,” Carney said. “As we know, Donald Trump places unfair tariffs on what we have built, what we sell, how we make a living. He attacks Canadian families, workers, businesses, and we can’t make him a success.
Carney said Canada will maintain retaliatory tariffs until “Americans show respect for us.”
Carney sailed through the crisis when he was head of the Bank of Canada, and in 2013 he became the first non-citizen to run the Bank of England since its establishment in 1694. His appointment won bipartisan praise in the UK after Canada recovered faster than many other countries.
Opposition Conservatives wanted to hold an election on Trudeau as food and housing prices rose and immigration spikes.
Trump’s trade war and his talk of making Canada the 51st US state have infuriated Canadians booing the American national anthem in the NHL and NBA games. Some people have cancelled their trips south of the border, while others avoid buying American products whenever possible.
The surge in Canadian nationalism has strengthened the Liberal Party’s chances in parliamentary elections expected within days or weeks, and the liberal show has steadily improved in opinion polls.
President Donald Trump signed the memorandum on Thursday, seeking to impose “fair and mutual” trade tariffs on all major US trading partners, including longtime allies.
“We have made this the greatest country in the world. Now our neighbors want to take us with us. Carney said earlier.
After decades of bilateral stability, votes for Canada’s next leader are now expected to focus on the best people to deal with the US.
Since declaring his nominee in January, Carney has gained support after support from Cabinet Ministers and members of Parliament. He is a higher-educated economist with Wall Street experience, who had long been interested in getting into politics and becoming prime minister, but has no political experience.
Another liberal leadership candidate was former vice-prime minister Christire Freeland. Trudeau told Freeland in December that he no longer wanted her as finance minister, but she could remain the deputy prime minister and pointer for US-Canadian relations. Freeland soon resigned and released a poignant letter about the government, which proved to be Trudeau’s last straw.
Carney is expected to trigger an election shortly afterwards. Carney could call one or force one with no confidence later this month by a vote of no confidence.
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