Former central banker Mark Carney has won the battle to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister.
Carney takes office at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is in the midst of a trade war with longtime ally the United States and must soon hold a general election.
Fifty-nine-year-old Carney won 86 percent of the votes cast, defeating former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.
Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his approval ratings plummeted, forcing the ruling Liberal Party to hold a quick search for his replacement.
Who is Mark Carney
Carney argued that he is best placed to revive the party and oversee trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened further tariffs that could cripple Canada's export-dependent economy.
Carney was the leading candidate who received the most support from party members. His victory is the first time a Canadian prime minister has been an outsider with no real political background.
Carney said that his experience as the first person to serve as governor of two G7 central banks - Canada and England - made him the best candidate to negotiate with Trump.
During the campaign, Carney said he supported retaliatory tariffs against the United States on a dollar-for-dollar basis and a coordinated strategy to encourage investment. He has repeatedly complained that Canada's growth under Trudeau has not been good enough.
The prospect of a new beginning for the Liberal Party under Carney's leadership, combined with Trump's tariffs and his repeated taunts about annexing Canada as the 51st state of the US, has led to a remarkable resurgence of Liberal fortunes.
Moment of gathering around the flag
At the start of 2025, the party was trailing by 20 percentage points or more, but is now statistically tied with the official opposition Conservatives led by career politician Pierre Poilievre in several polls.
At Sunday's protest outside the Canadian Parliament building in Ottawa, dozens of Canadians held signs protesting Trump without any mention of domestic politics.
"There is a moment of rallying around the flag that we would never have predicted a year ago," said a professor of politics at the University of British Columbia Richard Johnston. "I think it's probably true at this point that liberals have been saved from oblivion."
Two Liberal Party sources said Carney will call an election in the coming weeks.
However, opinion polls suggest that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives would be able to form a majority government. Elections must be held by 20 October.
Carney could legally serve as prime minister without a seat in the House of Commons, but tradition dictates that he should try to win the seat as soon as possible.
In 1984, John Turner was not a legislator when he became premier after winning the Liberal leadership contest.
CMG/ gnews.cz - RoZ
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