Mark Carney will be sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister on Friday, ending Justin Trudeau’s over nine-year tenure.
Governor General Mary Simon will preside over the swearing-in of Carney and his cabinet ministers Friday at 11 a.m., her office said in a statement.
Liberal Leadership Race
Carney, a former central banker who led the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada on Sunday.
Mark Carney will become Canada’s 24th prime minister.
Carney, 59, took 86% of votes cast to beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.
Trudeau Steps Down
Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his approval rating plummeted, forcing the ruling Liberal Party to run a quick contest to replace him.
“Make no mistake, this is a nation-defining moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given,” Trudeau said.
Tumultuous Time
Carney is going to take over at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is in the midst of a trade war with longtime ally the United States under President Donald Trump and must hold a general election soon.
Carney’s new cabinet may be about half the size of Trudeau’s executive, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
The cabinet is expected to have between 15 and 20 ministers, down from 37 currently including the prime minister, the report added, citing a source.
Stand Up To Trump
“There’s someone who’s trying to weaken our economy,” Carney said of Trump, spurring loud boos at the party gathering. “He’s attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We can’t let him succeed.”
“This won’t be business as usual,” Carney said. “We will have to do things that we haven’t imagined before, at speeds we didn’t think possible.”
Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada’s export-dependent economy.
(With inputs from Reuters)
