Canada’s Liberal Party overwhelmingly elected Mark Carney as the country’s next prime minister on Sunday, and the former central banker wasted no time in taking a firm stance against threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Carney, 59, secured 85.9% of the votes in the Liberal Party leadership race, according to the final tally.
He will soon take over from outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but his tenure may be brief. With elections required by October, Carney could call a snap vote within weeks. Current polls suggest a close race, with the opposition Conservatives holding a slight edge.
In his victory speech in Ottawa, Carney warned that the United States under Trump was attempting to assert control over Canada—an effort he vowed to resist.
“The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country,” Carney told an enthusiastic crowd after his win.
Trump, he said, is “attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We cannot let him succeed.”
Carney, who previously led both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, decisively defeated his main rival, Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s former deputy prime minister and a key figure in the Liberal government since 2015.
Throughout his leadership campaign, Carney positioned himself as the best candidate to stand up to Trump’s policies and protect Canada’s interests.
