The United States’ neighbor to the north has a new leader.
Former central banker Mark Carney will become Canada’s prime minister. The governing Liberal Party elected him its leader on Sunday. The vote was a landslide with 85.9% support.
In Canada’s political system, voters elect a party. The party’s leader then becomes the leader of the nation.
Carney will replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The latter announced his resignation in January but remains prime minister until Carney’s official swearing in.
Since Carney hasn’t won a seat in Parliament, he can’t participate in debates or votes. He is expected to trigger a federal election shortly. If he doesn’t, the opposition parties in Parliament could force one with a no-confidence vote.
Carney was the head of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013. In 2013, he became the first noncitizen to run the Bank of England since its 1694 founding. His appointment won praise in the United Kingdom after Canada recovered from the 2008 financial crisis faster than many other countries. (The crisis was a global event that a collapse of value in the U.S. housing market triggered.) He also helped managed the worst effects of Brexit in the United Kingdom.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of imposing tariffs and of making Canada the 51st U.S. state have angered Canadians. Last week, the United States at President Trump’s directive imposed new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. It then exempted many of those goods just two days later.
Carney says Canada will keep its initial retaliation tariffs in place until “the Americans show us respect.”
“We didn’t ask for this fight. But Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves,” Carney says of his country’s relations with the United States. “The Americans, they should make no mistake, in trade, as in hockey, Canada will win.”
In the midst of the U.S.-Canada conflict, many Canadians are booing the American national anthem at NHL and NBA games. Some are canceling trips south of the border, and many are avoiding buying American goods.
“The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country,” Carney says. “We need to pull together in the tough days ahead.”
President Trump has postponed 25% tariffs on many goods from Canada and Mexico for a second month, amid widespread fears of a broader trade war. But he has threatened other tariffs on steel, aluminum, dairy, and other products.
Carney picked up one endorsement after another from Cabinet ministers and members of Parliament since declaring his candidacy in January. He is a highly educated economist with Wall Street experience who has long been interested in entering politics and becoming prime minister. However, he lacks political and diplomatic experience.
Carney, who is his party’s choice—at least for now—says, “America is not Canada. And Canada will never, ever be a part of America in any way, shape or form.”
