Mark Carney, the former head of the UK and Canada central banks, was named Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s successor Sunday and immediately fired shots at President Trump in his victory speech.
Carney, 59, overwhelmingly won the race to lead the country’s federal Liberal party on Sunday after taking home 86% of the ballots, making him the first outsider with no real political background to become Canadian prime minister.
The longtime banker will take the reins of Canada during a contentious period between the country and the US as Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs that would cripple the northern country’s export-dependent economy — and to make Canada the 51st US state.
Carney wasted no time in brushing off Trump’s threats, using his victory speech as a rallying cry against the commander-in-chief and the US.
“America is not Canada. And Canada never, ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form,” Carney said in his speech Sunday.
“We didn’t ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves,” he continued.
“The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country,” Carney said. “Think about it. If they succeed, they will destroy our way of life.”
On the campaign trail, Carney emphasized that his economic experience made him the best candidate to grapple with Trump and his tariff agenda.
Carney beat out former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, former government house leader Karina Gould and former member of parliament Frank Baylis in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.
It’s not clear when Carney will formally assume office. He and Trudeau are expected to meet in the coming days to determine the outgoing prime minister’s final day at the helm.
The Wall Street whiz threw his hat in the race to succeed Trudeau in January, just a week after the incumbent announced he would resign before completing his term.
Carney has never run for elected office before, making him somewhat of a political novice. However, he has served in various roles within the Canadian government for more than a decade — most recently as Trudeau’s appointed chair of the Liberal Party of Canada’s Task Force on Economic Growth.
He previously served as the governor of the Bank of Canada before becoming the first non-Brit to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694.
During his campaign, Carney proposed dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs against the US, saying that Canada’s growth under Trudeau was not good enough.
In a teary-eyed farewell speech, Trudeau alluded to the tense relationship between Canada and the US that has emerged since Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.
“These past 10 years have been challenging. Crisis after crisis has been thrown at Canadians, but through every crisis, Canadians have shown who they are. We’ve pulled together, we’ve stood up for each other and every single time we’ve emerged even stronger,” Trudeau said to a roar of cheers.
“And now, as Canadians face — from our neighbor — an existential challenge, an economic crisis, Canadians are showing exactly what we are made of.”
Trudeau, who has served as prime minister since 2015, also said it was time for a new chapter in Canada’s future.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m damn proud of what we’ve done over these past 10 years, but tonight is about our future as a party, as a country,” he said before stepping down.
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