Mark Carney is the new leader of Canada Liberal Party, set to become PM

Toronto: Former central banker Mark Carney coasted to a landslide victory on Sunday to become the new leader of the ruling Liberal Party, paving the way for him to succeed Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister.

Carney, 59, garnered nearly 86% of the approximately 152,000 votes cast by registered party members. His closest rival, former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, could only manage 8% support in the leadership race.

In his victory speech at the Roger’s Centre in Ottawa on Sunday, Carney focused his attention on the threat posed to Canada by US President Donald Trump, as he said the country faced “dark days.”

“We needed big changes, guided by strong Canadian values,” he said, in order to confront Trump. “I will use those values again as we face the most serious threat in a generation,” he stressed.

“Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country,” he warned, adding, “He’s attacking Canadian families, workers and business and we cannot let him succeed, and we won’t.”

Carney also attacked his principal rival, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, but also adopted several policies that the opposition has backed in the last year, including eliminating a consumer carbon tax, stopping a hike in capitals gains tax, reducing Government spending and building energy pipelines.

Carney, who will celebrate his 60th birthday next Sunday, is expected to be sworn in as Canada’s 24th PM during the course of the week ahead as Trudeau demits office after over nine years at the helm in Ottawa.

Carney is expected to call for early federal elections, which could take place in late spring instead of as scheduled in October. He repeated used the phrase “Canada Strong” which could be his slogan.

“Canadians want positive leadership that will end division and held us build together,” he stressed, adding that meant creating a “stronger economy” creating “new trading relationships with reliable trading partners” and securing the country’s borders.

Carney also thanked Trudeau, who was in the arena, for his “hard work” and “service” to Canada.

Max Cameron, professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, felt Carney would take the party to the centre. “He’s not, in any way, a radical. He’s fiscally conservative and socially liberal,” he said.

Professor Cameron said the Liberals’ electoral fortunes appeared to have turned since Trudeau’s resignation and part of that could be because Carney came into the picture. Being a “new face” could help him but in leading the party into federal elections, he was “untested in electoral terms.”

“Can he really connect with voters?” was the question Cameron said will determine his political future specially since Carney has never fought or won an election.

Former British Columbia premier Ujjal Dosanjh felt that Carney “is a good thing happening to Canada.” He said the country needed to move to the centre and away from the “excessive pandering” by Trudeau that led to a “splintering of society.”

Dosanjh, also a former federal cabinet minister from the Liberal Party, said he expected Carney to practice “economic pragmatism” while “enhancing social cohesion.” He said Carney has already revived the fortunes of the Liberals, which had cratered under Trudeau, though that was, in part, attributable to Trump’s “antics.”

Poilievre and the Conservative Party, as expected, have Carney now as their target. On Sunday, the Conservative leader posted on X, “Liberals are trying to trick Canadians into electing them for a fourth term by replacing Trudeau with his economic advisor, Mark Carney.” Carney has chaired a task force on economic growth that has been advising Trudeau since September last year.

Earlier, Trudeau also addressed the gathering, after being introduced by his daughter Ella-Grace. Trudeau said that “being Prime Minister of this country has been the honour of my life”.

He added, “I’m damn proud of what we have accomplished over the last 10 years.” A tribute to Trudeau played out before he appeared on stage and he reminisced about entering politics 18 years ago, as he first became an MP from Papineau in Quebec, as well as 2013, when he became leader of the Liberal Party, and 2015, when he won his first term as PM in 2015, with the only majority his party enjoyed under his command.

Carney becomes the leader after Trudeau’s 12 year tenure. The winner said that Canda faced “new challenges” which required “new leadership.”

In what will become the campaign theme of the next election, Carney reiterated that Canada faced the “greatest crisis of our lifetimes.”

But, he said, “Canada never ever will be part of American n any way, shape or form.”

The leadership race was precipitated by Trudeau’s announcement on January 6 that he intended to resign once his successor was selected by the party. That process concluded on Sunday, with Canada now looking ahead to a post-Trudeau polity after nearly a decade of his rule.