Mark Carney, the former governor of the UK and Canada central banks, who was announced as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's replacement on Sunday, immediately took aim at President Trump in his victory speech. At 59 years old, Carney secured a decisive win in the race to lead Canada's federal Liberal Party, earning 86 percent of the votes.
The win makes him the first political newcomer with no real political background to assume the role of Canada's prime minister. Carney will take the reins of Canada at a tense moment in the country's relationship with the U.S., as Trump has warned of new tariffs that could severely impact Canada's export-driven economy
Carney Sends Trump Clear Message
Carney made it clear that he intends to follow in Trudeau's footsteps by maintaining public clashes with the American leader. Wasting no time in dismissing Trump's warnings, he used his victory speech as a call to action against the U.S. president and his administration. Carney accused Trump of "trying to weaken our economy."
"America is not Canada. And Canada never, ever, will be part of America in any way, shape or form," Carney said in his speech Sunday.
"We didn't ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves," he continued.
"The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country," Carney said. "Think about it. If they succeed, they will destroy our way of life."
During his campaign, Carney highlighted his economic expertise as the key reason he was best suited to take on Trump and his trade policies.
Carney beat out former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, ex-government house leader Karina Gould, and former MP Frank Baylis in a race that saw nearly 152,000 party members cast their votes.
It remains unclear when Carney will officially take office. In the coming days, he and Trudeau are expected to meet to finalize the outgoing prime minister's departure timeline.
New Role, Major Responsibilities
The financial expert entered the leadership race in January, just a week after Trudeau announced he would step down before completing his term. Although Carney has never run for elected office, making him relatively new to politics, he has held various roles within the Canadian government for over a decade.
Most recently, he was appointed by Trudeau to chair the Liberal Party's Task Force on Economic Growth.
Before that, he served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and later made history as the first non-British leader of the Bank of England since its establishment in 1694.
During his campaign, Carney advocated for dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., arguing that Canada's economic progress under Trudeau had been insufficient.
In an emotional farewell speech, Trudeau touched on the strained ties between Canada and the U.S., which worsened after Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports.
"These past ten years have been challenging. Crisis after crisis has been thrown at Canadians, but through every crisis, Canadians have shown who they are. We've pulled together, we've stood up for each other and every single time we've emerged even stronger," Trudeau said to a roar of cheers.
"And now, as Canadians face — from our neighbor — an existential challenge, an economic crisis, Canadians are showing exactly what we are made of."
Trudeau, who has led Canada since 2015, said that the country was ready to turn the page and embrace a new chapter in its future. "Don't get me wrong, I'm damn proud of what we've done over these past 10 years, but tonight is about our future as a party, as a country," he said.
