Banker Mark Carney Wins Race to Lead Liberal Party, and Canada

During a crucial period of strain in Canadian-American relations, the Liberal Party of Canada selected an unelected financial specialist on Sunday to succeed Justin Trudeau as party leader and prime minister, positioning him to confront President Trump. Mark Carney, 59, who guided the Bank of Canada through the 2008 financial crash and led the Bank of England during Brexit transitions, secured victory despite never holding elected office. He triumphed over his colleague and former finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, capturing an impressive 85.9 percent of Liberal Party member votes. The party reported that over 150,000 individuals participated in the election.

Mark Carney to become Canada's new Prime Minister : NPR (Source: www.npr.org)

In his victory speech Sunday evening, Carney addressed Trump's repeated claims about making Canada the 51st state directly: "America is not Canada. And Canada never, ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form," he declared to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. "We didn't ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves."

"So Americans should make no mistake," Carney continued. "In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win."

Earlier in his remarks, Carney had identified Trump as a threat: "There's someone who's trying to weaken our economy. Yeah, Donald Trump. He's attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses, and we cannot let him succeed. The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country."