Ottawa, Canada —(Map)
On Sunday, Mark Carney was chosen as the new leader of Canada’s Liberal Party. He will replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister. Mr. Carney has worked in important banking jobs, but has never held a political office. He will face many challenges, including a possible trade war with the US.
Mr. Carney, 59, has lots of experience guiding large banks through difficult times. He got the Bank of Canada through a time when banks and businesses around the world were struggling. And though he’s Canadian, he was chosen to run the Bank of England, and help the country as it faced the challenges of Brexit.
Mr. Carney isn’t a politician. Currently, he doesn’t even hold a seat in Canada’s House of Commons. When Mr. Trudeau announced in January that he was stepping down, Mr. Carney decided to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party.
Above, Mark Carney speaking in 2015, when he was in charge of the Bank of England.
On Sunday, Mark Carney was chosen to lead Canada’s Liberal Party. He’ll become the country’s next prime minister. Mr. Carney isn’t a politician, but he has guided large banks through difficult times. Above, Mr. Carney speaking in 2015, when he was in charge of the Bank of England.
(Source: Policy Exchange, via Flickr.com.)
On Sunday, he easily beat the three other candidates, taking 85.9% of the votes. Mr. Carney is expected to be sworn in as prime minister later this week.
Being Prime Minister With No Seat in Parliament
Though Mr. Carney can be prime minister without having a seat in Parliament, he can’t take part in activities in the House of Commons. This is one reason Mr. Carney is expected to call for an election before Parliament meets again later this month.
Mr. Carney will face many challenges. He’ll need to improve the situation for Canadian businesses and people. Many people in Canada are struggling as prices keep going up. There are also concerns about housing, immigration, health care, and how Canada will use its natural resources.
But the biggest challenge will be figuring out how to deal with US President Donald Trump.
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Mr. Carney will have to figure out how to deal with Mr. Trump, who has threatened Canada with tariffs and wants to make Canada a US state. Mr. Carney promised to be tough with Mr. Trump, saying “Canada never, ever, will be part of America.” Above, Mr. Carney, after winning Sunday’s vote.
In the past, the US has been Canada’s closest ally and the country it does the most business with. But since Mr. Trump took office in January, he hasn’t been treating Canada like an ally. Instead, he has threatened the country with tariffs and has said he wants to turn Canada into the 51st state of the United States.
In response to Mr. Trump’s tariffs, Canada put tariffs on some products from the US. Mr. Carney says he plans to keep these tariffs in place “until the Americans show us respect”.
Mr. Carney promised to be strong in dealing with Mr. Trump. “America is not Canada,” he said. “And Canada never, ever, will be part of America in any way, shape, or form.”
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Mr. Trudeau, above, has been Canada’s prime minister since 2015. Over the last year or so, he and his Liberal Party have become very unpopular. But following Mr. Trump’s attacks on Canada, the Liberal Party has become much more popular.
Though Mr. Trump has been tough on Canada, this may have actually helped the Liberal Party. Mr. Trudeau has been Canada’s prime minister since 2015. Over the last year or so, he and his Liberal Party have become very unpopular. The Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, became more popular.
That quickly changed after Mr. Trump began attacking Canada. Now, the Liberals have suddenly caught up with the Conservatives. A large part of that is because of concerns over Mr. Trump.
Mr. Carney highlighted those concerns, claiming that Mr. Poilievre would “kneel before” Mr. Trump instead of standing up to him. Mr. Poilievre claims that Mr. Carney will be just like Mr. Trudeau.
For now, Mr. Carney is new enough that many people seem willing to give him a chance. But he will also have to work hard to show that he isn’t just a banker, and that he understands the problems of ordinary people.
Did You Know…?
Currently the Liberal Party has a minority government. That means they don’t have a majority in Parliament, and have to work with other parties. By law, Canada must hold a new election by October. Many people think Mr. Carney may call for an election very soon. That would allow him to take advantage of the Liberal Party’s newly growing popularity.
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