Mark Carney received 131,674 votes, or roughly 85.9% of the total, to win the Liberal Party leadership contest.
On Monday, Mark Carney was named Canada’s 24th prime minister and the next leader of the Liberal Party. The former head of the Bank of Canada will take Justin Trudeau’s place at the top of the government.
Sachit Mehra, the president of the Liberal Party, declared that Mark Carney, the former head of the central banks of the UK and Canada, had won the Liberal leadership contest.
Carney was the front-runner to lead the Liberal Party after Trudeau. From 2008 to 2013, he was the Bank of Canada’s eighth governor. From 2011 to 2018, he also chaired the Financial Stability Board.
The former executive at Goldman Sachs gained notoriety for saving Canada from one of the worst effects of the 2008 financial crisis. According to polls, his countrymen view him as the most trustworthy politician to deal with US President Donald Trump.
Carney had previously compared Trump to Harry Potter’s villain Voldemort.
Mark Carney received 131,674 votes, or roughly 85.9% of the total votes cast, and won the leadership contest. Frank Baylis received 4,038 votes, Karina Gould received 4,785 votes, and Chrystia Freeland received 11,134 votes.
Cleo Carney, Carney’s daughter, introduced him to the stage prior to his speech at the Liberal Party convention.
‘Canada strong’
According to Cleo, her father is “unflinchingly dedicated to what matters, focused and principled” and is a “man of commitment” at his core.
“Strong” is how Mark Carney characterized Canada in his opening remarks. He stated, “This room is strong, this room is Canada strong.”
His father had chosen to run as a liberal candidate in Alberta in the 1980s, he added, citing former prime minister Jean Chrétien’s speech as evidence that he encouraged his family to adopt a liberal stance.
“You (Chretien) inspired me over the years and now to have an opportunity to continue your tradition of fiscal responsibility, social justice and international leadership,” he continued.
He claimed that all that is needed of Canadians right now is to defend their country. Carney went on to say that the Liberal Party is still strong, unified, and prepared to fight for a better country.
The former head of the Bank of Canada stated that he wants to establish solid ties with “reliable” trading partners and that his new government will implement a new strategy to strengthen the economy.
Carney stated that “we cannot let him succeed and we won’t” in response to Trump’s tariff threats. The retaliatory actions will continue until the United States and Canada can work together to make believable and trustworthy promises of free and fair trade, he continued.
He claimed that Ottawa residents’ way of life would be destroyed by Americans’ desire for Canadian resources, land, and nation.
He criticized America for managing healthcare as a purported business while acknowledging that it is a Canadian right. “Canada is not America. In no way, shape, or form will Canada ever be a part of America,” he declared.
Political outsider
\Notably, Carney, 59, has never held public office, making him a political outsider. Under normal circumstances, this would have hurt him in the race for leadership. However, Carney’s distance from Trudeau and prominent banking career worked to his advantage, as he claimed to be the only person ready to face Trump.
Carney had stated during a leadership debate last month, “I know how to manage crises… in a situation like this, you need experience in terms of crisis management, you need negotiating skills.” Carney’s arguments state that Canada will resist Trump’s threats of tariffs.
Born in Fort Smith, in the far-flung Northwest Territories, Carney went to Harvard, where he excelled at ice hockey.
