Mark Carney was elected as leader of the Canadian Liberal Party in a months-long high-stakes race to replace Justin Trudeau.
Now he will be expected to lead the party to the next federal election that must be held by October, where he may face fierce competition from the Conservative Party currently leading in the polls.
Although Carney will immediately take over as Liberal leader, Trudeau will continue to serve as Canada’s prime minister during an undisclosed transition period while his successor settled.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed Canadians for illegal immigration into the United States, threatening to turn Canada into the 51st state, and imposing huge tariffs on Canadian imports, which the White House said is necessary to stop fentanyl from flowing across its borders.
Carney mentioned tensions with the United States in his first sentence after the vote, saying his administration would “build a new trading relationship with reliable trading partners.”
He also vowed to maintain retaliatory tariffs on the United States, “until Americans show respect to us.”
“New threats require new ideas and new plans,” he told the Liberal Congress on Sunday.
“Canada will never be a part of the United States”
“He’s attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses, we can’t make him successful, we won’t, we won’t, we won’t.”
“In trade, Canada’s hockey will win.”
The ripple effect of tensions with the United States spread through Canadian society, and fans of the Canadian NHL and NBA Games even booed the U.S. national anthem.
Carney will now face conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who had previously compared with Trump but is now trying to distance himself from U.S. leaders and reiterated in a press conference earlier this week that he was “not Marg”.
At a Sunday rally ahead of the free vote, Poilievre made harsh remarks against former governor Carney of the Bank of England and Bank of Canada, portraying him as a leader who was inadequate to deal with Trump.
“Working in Trudeau, Carney made Canada weaker and weaker; working for himself, Carney made the United States stronger and stronger,” Poilievre said.
Carney shot his conservative opponent in his speech after the vote.
Donald Trump believes he can weaken us through plans of division and conquest. Pierre Poilievre’s plan will divide us and be ready to be conquered. ” Carney said.
Trudeau warned in his last sentence as Liberal leader that Canadians faced a “survival challenge” from the United States on Sunday.
“It’s a defining moment,” he said at the Liberty Leadership Conference in Ottawa.
“Now, just like Canadians face a survival challenge facing our neighbors, Canadians are showing exactly what we make of it,” Trudeau said.
