Canada renews Liberal Mark Carney's presidency after clash with Trump
The Liberal Party will form its fourth consecutive government, after substantially improving its results compared to 2021.
LondonMark Carney, Canada's prime minister, won Monday's early legislative elections. Justin Trudeau until his resignation In January, he will be able to form his fourth consecutive government. Carney's victory represents one of the greatest comebacks in the country's political history, if we take into account the polls from two months ago, which predicted a huge defeat for the ruling party.
The Trump effect, however, his tariffs and the proclamations by the US president to integrate the neighboring country as a new state of the Union, have favored the recovery of the liberals, with Carney fiercely opposed to the Republican magnate and his economic policies. In fact, hours before the start of the election, on his network, Truth Social, Trump once again spoke of the supposed advantages for the country of integrating into the United States.
Canadians have not believed it and, in fact, the Liberal Party has substantially improved its results in relation to the last elections, with 165 of the 343 in the chamber, 11 more deputies than in the 2021 elections – only 7 from an absolute majority –, and 7% of an absolute majority –, and 7 of an absolute majority –, and almost four years ago. The Conservatives have won 147 deputies; the Bloc Quebecois, 23; the NDP (New Democratic Party) 7, and the Greens, 1. Carney's personal victory, former governor of the Bank of Canada and also of the Bank of England, has been such that in his district he obtained 64% of the vote, the first time he ran for office.
In a speech delivered in the nation's capital early Tuesday, Carney celebrated his victory and stated that he will resist any threat from the Trump administration. "America wants our land, our resources, our water. But these are not empty threats; President Trump is trying to break us so that the United States can own us. This will never happen, never in my life," he told Ottawa. "We have overcome the shock of American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons learned. We have to look out for ourselves and, above all, we must look out for each other," he emphasized.
Carney's victory, having officially replaced Trudeau in March, will also be welcomed around the world as a sign that centrist multilateralist policies can triumph electorally in the Trump era. Not coincidentally, and contrary to tradition for all Canadian prime ministers upon taking office, his first foreign visit was to Paris and London, not Washington.
Carney led the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and the Bank of England during Brexit, and has used his experience, along with a combative nationalism against Trump's annexationist will, as preparation for dealing with the economic instability brought about by the US president.
An agreement to negotiate
From now on, the former Goldman Sachs and Brookfield executive will have to manage crucial negotiations with Canada's main trading partner, at a time when the world is trying to limit the damage from Trump's trade policy. The Liberals, led by their recent leader, have been able to take advantage of a patriotic surge ahead of the possibility of the country becoming the "51st state" of the United States. As Trump's tariffs dominated the campaign, Carney went out of his way to send a message to voters, saying that the traditional relationship with the United States was "over." Carney will enter Parliament for the first time as the MP for the Ottawa constituency of Nepean.
Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservatives, had led the polls for several years until Trudeau resigned and the US president resigned.
"We know that change is necessary, but change is difficult to achieve. It takes time," Poilievre said Tuesday morning. "It requires effort, so we must learn the lessons of tonight to achieve an even better result the next time Canadians decide the country's future."
The New Democratic Party (NDP), which had supported Trudeau's minority government in Parliament, has suffered significant losses. The Bloc Quebecois also saw its results decline compared to 2021, dropping from 32 to 23 MPs. Although the BQ did not form a government with Trudeau, it did support him at times.
