JUST IN: Justin Trudeau Is Officially Out As Canadian PM
Canada’s Liberal Party has chosen veteran central bank leader Mark Carney as its new leader, meaning that he will quickly replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the nation’s leader. Trudeau’s political downfall comes as he attempted to author an aggressive response to President Trump’s tariffs.
Carney, a former Goldman Sachs executive, emerged victorious with roughly 85 percent of the votes. Chrystia Freeland, the former deputy prime minister who infamously seized bank accounts from COVID-19 protesters in 2022, fell well short in her own bid to lead.
While Carney’s vote total approached 84 percent of 151,000 votes cast, the next highest vote getter received just a little over 11,000.
It is unclear exactly when Carney will take office as Canada’s prime minister. The process will be underway immediately as Carney will work in conjunction with Trudeau’s office on transition efforts.
Carney will take the reins of Canada’s Liberal Party amidst a significant polling slump that has persisted for several months. Opposition parties have become increasingly eager to call an election as the Conservative Party has polled neck-and-neck with the liberals in recent weeks.
Carney speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos
Carney’s government could be toppled by Parliament to call for a new national election, which can be called any time between the Parliament going back into session on March 24 and October 20, by which time a vote must be held.
Back in January, Trudeau announced that he would step down as party leader and with that, his position as prime minister due to increasing internal pressure and the polling slump. Trudeau’s resignation triggered a Liberal Party election that saw Carney cruise to victory.
Carney is expected to call a general election sometime in late April or early May.
The new Liberal leader told members that they should be prepared to fight “the most important election of our lives” where the “stakes have never been higher,” according to a report from Fox News.
He also described Canada as “the greatest country in the world” and attacked President Trump, the latter of whom has repeatedly joked about annexing Canada as the nation’s “51st state.”
“Canada will not bow down to a bully. We won’t stand by as illegal U.S. tariffs hurt our workers and their families. As Canadians, we need to face this challenge as one united team,” Carney said after Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods.
Canada’s conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, have said they are ready for a “change” election after a lengthy liberal rule. “We’ve had 10 years of a Liberal government, and Canadians are tired of that,” said
Laura Kurkimaki, who served as deputy national campaign manager for the Conservative Party during the last federal election in 2021.