Mark Carney, the former central bank governor, was announced as the new leader of ‘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 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, their 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 calls for unity
Carney thanked Trudeau for his service, highlighting that he led the country through some of the toughest challenges the country had ever faced.
“The Liberal party is united and strong,” Carney said in his speech accepting the leadership of the party.
Carney addressed the issue of US tariffs, saying that a bigger challenge to the US tariff threat was “to foster unity and a sense of the common good.”
But he also took a shot at Trump’s tariffs, saying that his government would maintain the tariffs against the US “until the Americans show us respect.”
Trump is “attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses.” “We cannot let him succeed,” Carney said.
‘Canada never ever will be part of America’
Carney addressed the existential challenge posed by the US.
“The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country,” he warned. “If they succeeded, they would destroy our way of life,” he warned.
The Liberal leader noted that in the US, “healthcare is a business, but in Canada, it is a right.”
“America is a melting pot, Canada is a mosaic,” he added, emphasizing the difference between the neighboring countries.
Carney said his country “did not ask for this fight,” but that it was ready for it. “In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win,” he added.
“America is not Canada and Canada never ever will be part of America in any way, shape, or form,” he added.
Canada’s ‘existential challenge’
Carney has maintained that he is the best candidate to defend Canada against 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 the country’s economy.
In his farewell address to the party, Trudeau warned that Canada faces an “existential challenge” from the US.
He said the country was facing a “nation-defining moment.”
“Democracy is not a given, freedom is not a given, even Canada is not a given,” Trudeau said.
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