OTTAWA: Canada’s Liberal Party looked set on Sunday to choose a former central banker and political novice, Mark Carney, as its next leader, replacing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as it confronts threats from US President Donald Trump.
Mark Carney, who served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, is widely expected to be named the new Liberal leader when results from a vote of around 400,000 party members are announced.
The other main challenger is Trudeau’s former deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, who held several senior cabinet positions in the Liberal government that was first elected in 2015.
Whoever wins the vote will take over from Trudeau as prime minister, but will soon face a general election that polls currently show the rival Conservative Party as slight favorites to win.
Carney has racked up endorsements, including from much of Trudeau’s cabinet, and a Freeland win would be a shock for the Liberals as they head towards a general election.
Despite dramatically breaking with the prime minister in December, analysts say voters still tie Freeland to Trudeau’s unpopular record.
Carney and Freeland have both maintained that they are the best candidate to defend Canada against Trump’s attacks.
The US president has repeatedly spoken about annexing Canada and thrown bilateral trade, the lifeblood of the Canadian economy, into chaos with dizzying tariff actions that have veered in various directions since he took office.
At a closing campaign rally near Toronto, Carney said Trump “is attacking what we build. He is attacking what we sell. He is attacking how we earn our living. We are facing the most serious crisis in our lifetime.
Trudeau has said he would agree on a transition of power once the new Liberal leader is in place.
When ready, the pair will visit Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon — King Charles III’s official representative in Canada — who will task the new Liberal chief with forming a government.
Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2025
