Carney gets Liberal nod, set to become next PM

OTTAWA — Former central banker Mark Carney is set to become Canada’s next prime minister after the Liberal Party selected him as its new leader.

Carney is expected to be sworn in by the Governor General within days in Ottawa.

The leadership vote was triggered by Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement in January. At the time, the Liberals trailed Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in the polls by nearly 25 points. Recent polling shows a much closer race.

Carney handily defeated former finance minister and current MP Chrystia Freeland, former MP Frank Baylis, and former House leader and current MP Karina Gould, securing more than 85 per cent of the vote.

He inherits a trade war sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s blanket tariffs — a conflict that has flared, cooled and flared again as threats continue to swirl on both sides.

The pending federal election may be seen as a referendum on which party and leader can best go toe-to-toe with Trump’s brand of national protectionism.

Carney’s first promise as leader was to eliminate the consumer carbon tax — a move widely seen as a response to Poilievre’s persistent “Carbon Tax Carney” slogan.

Poilievre was quick to sharpen his attacks on Carney on the social media platform X, posting: “As Trudeau’s economic advisor, Carney made Canada weaker and poorer. And working for himself, he made America stronger and richer.”