MARK CARNEY, A former central banker who holds Irish citizenship, is set to become Canada’s next prime minister after being overwhelmingly elected by the country’s Liberal Party. 

The 59-year-old replaces outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remains in post until his successor is sworn in.

Carney navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada and in 2013 he became the first non-UK citizen to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694.

He has held Irish citizenship since the 1980s. He also holds UK citizenship, but he is in the process of renouncing both as he believes that as Canadian leader, he should only hold one citizenship. 

He soundly defeated his main challenger, Trudeau’s former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, who held several senior cabinet positions in the Liberal government that was first elected in 2015.

Carney won 85.9% of the nearly 152,000 votes cast. Freeland took just 8% of the vote.

However, he may not have the job for long. Canada must hold elections by October but could well see a snap poll within weeks. Current polls put the opposition Conservatives as slight favorites.

In his victory speech to a boisterous crowd of party supporters in Ottawa, he wasted no time in taking a defiant stance against US President Donald Trump, whose tariff trade war and talk of making Canada the 51st US state have infuriated Canadians.

“We cannot let him succeed,” Carney said, accusing Trump of “attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses.”

He warned the United States under Trump was seeking to seize control of Canada.

“The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country,” he said. “These are dark days, dark days brought on by a country we can no longer trust.”

Carney: Canada never ever will be part of America in any way, shape, or form. We didn’t ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves. pic.twitter.com/MLSRpFP1Ix

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 9, 2025

Carney campaigned on a promise to stand up to Trump.

Delivering a farewell address before the results were announced, Trudeau said “Canadians face from our neighbor an existential challenge.”

‘Most serious crisis’

Celebrating the outcome in Ottawa, party loyalist Cory Stevenson said “the Liberal party has the wind in its sails.”

“We chose the person who could best face off against (Tory leader) Pierre Poilievre in the next election and deal with Donald Trump,” he told AFP.

Carney has argued that his experience makes him the ideal counter to the US president, portraying himself as a seasoned economic crisis manager who led the Bank of Canada through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and the Bank of England through the turbulence that followed the 2016 Brexit vote.

Data released from the Angus Reid polling firm on Wednesday shows Canadians see Carney as the favorite choice to face off against Trump, potentially offering the Liberals a boost over the opposition Conservatives.

Some 43% of respondents said they trusted Carney the most to deal with Trump, with 34% backing Poilievre.

Before Trudeau announced his plans to resign in January, the Liberals were headed for an electoral wipeout, but the leadership change and Trump’s influence have dramatically tightened the race.

“I think we were written off about four months ago, and now we’re right back where we should be,” former MP Frank Baylis, who also ran for the leadership, told AFP in Ottawa.

Unproven

Carney made a fortune as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before entering the Canadian civil service.

Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cheers as Mark Carney delivers his victory speech. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Since leaving the Bank of England in 2020, he has served as a United Nations envoy working to get the private sector to invest in climate-friendly technology and has held private sector roles.

He has never served in parliament nor held an elected public office.

Analysts say his untested campaign skills could prove a liability against a Conservative Party already running attack ads accusing Carney of shifting positions and misrepresenting his experience.

“It is absolutely a risk. He is unproven in the crucible of an election,” said Cameron Anderson, a political scientist at Ontario’s Western University.

He said Carney’s victory speech, and its tough anti-Trump rhetoric, “is what Canadians want to hear from their leaders.”

“The average Canadian in the country is viewing these things in an existential way,” Anderson said.

With reporting from © AFP 2025