OTTAWA: Former central banker Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister, official results showed on Sunday (Mar 9).
Carney will take over at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is in the midst of a trade war with longtime ally the United States and must hold a general election soon.
Carney, 59, took 86 per cent of votes cast to beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.
Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his approval rating plummeted, forcing the ruling Liberal Party to run a quick contest to replace him.
“Make no mistake, this is a nation-defining moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given,” Trudeau said.
“Now, as Canadians face, from our neighbour, an existential challenge, an economic crisis, Canadians are showing exactly what we are made of.”
Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada’s export-dependent economy.
Carney was the front-runner, with the most endorsements from party members and the most money raised among the four Liberal candidates.
Carney’s win marks the first time an outsider with no real political background has become Canadian prime minister. He has said his experience as the first person to serve as the governor of two G7 central banks – Canada and England – meant he was the best candidate to deal with Trump.
During the campaign, Carney said he supported dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs against the United States and a coordinated strategy to boost investment. He has repeatedly complained that Canada’s growth under Trudeau was not good enough.
The prospect of a fresh start for the Liberal Party under Carney, combined with Trump’s tariffs and his repeated taunts to annex Canada as the 51st US state, led to a remarkable revival of Liberal fortunes.
Source: CNA
