Canada’s incoming Prime Minister, Mark Carney on Sunday vowed to win United States President Donald Trump’s trade war amid ongoing tariff clash.
The former central banker wasted no time advocating for “the Canadian way of life” after the Liberal Party overwhelmingly elected him to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We didn’t ask for this fight. But Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves,” Carney told a boisterous crowd of party supporters in Ottawa.
“So the Americans, they should make no mistake, in trade as in hockey, Canada will win,” added the 59-year-old, who will take over from Trudeau in the coming days.
Carney may not have the job for long since Canada must hold elections by October, but they could see a snap poll within weeks.
Current polls put the opposition Conservatives as slight favourites.
In his victory speech, Carney warned that the United States under President 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.”
He accused Trump of “attacking Canadian workers, families and businesses,” adding “We cannot let him succeed.”
“We’re all being called to stand up for each other and for the Canadian way of life.”
Carney, a former leader of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, decisively defeated his main opponent, former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, by securing 85.9% of nearly 152,000 votes, while Freeland garnered only 8%, all while campaigning on a pledge to confront Trump.
Trump 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.
Delivering a farewell address, Trudeau said, “Canadians face from our neighbour an existential challenge.”
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.
He has portrayed 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 favourite choice to face off against Trump, potentially offering the Liberals a boost over the opposition Conservatives.
