OTTAWA — Mark Carney was elected the next Liberal leader and prime minister on Sunday as the country finds itself embroiled in a trade war with its closest ally and neighbour.
The vote comes while the country finds itself embroiled in a trade war with its closest ally and neighbour and only days after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed and then subsequently paused widespread tariffs on Canadian goods.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that that the transition to the new leader “should happen reasonably quickly” but that the particularly complicated geopolitical moment could make it more difficult.
The candidates vying for his job were Carney, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland, former House leader Karina Gould, and Montreal businessman and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis.
Hundreds of Liberals supporters, many sporting their best red and white clothes, were amassed in a convention centre in downtown Ottawa where, three weeks before, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held his “Canada First” rally.
Each candidate took the stage at the start of the event, with most making pointed remarks related to Trump’s threat to Canada’s sovereignty.
“I know all of us have one message for Donald Trump, tonight: Canada will never be the 51st state,” said Freeland, prompting loud cheers from the crowd.
“We have made this the greatest country in the world, and now our neighbours want to take us,” added Carney.
Gould said that whatever the result of the leadership vote, “we leave here as proud Liberals, proud Canadians and ready to take on Pierre Poilievre.”
The 400,000 Liberal members had until 3 p.m. ET on Sunday to cast their ballot. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 150,000 Liberal members had voted — already beating the number of votes cast in the 2013 leadership race that saw Trudeau elected as leader.
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien said that, at age 91, he was still ready to “fight.”
Chrétien congratulated all levels of government for the way they have fought back against Trump’s ongoing threats of tariffs and suggested going even further by imposing export taxes on oil, gas, potash, steel, aluminum and electricity which got loud cheers.
With that money, he said, Canadians could build a natural gas pipeline from Alberta to Quebec which could “keep the steelworkers working in Canada for a long time.”
But Trudeau got the loudest cheers from the crowd when he appeared on stage to talk about his government’s accomplishments but also to send a message that his party should not be underestimated in the next election — now that he won’t be at the helm.
“It’s when we try to count us out that we, Liberals, show our true metal,” he said.
His only daughter, Ella-Grace Trudeau, took the stage to say that while she is “looking forward to seeing more of him at home and less of him online.”
“My brothers and I have shared our dad for the past 12 years. Now, we’re taking him back,” she said.
Philippe J. Fournier, creator of the poll aggregator website 338Canada, told National Post that all available indicators demonstrate that the Liberal leadership should indeed be an easy first ballot win for Carney, adding “unless there’s something we’re missing, which is always possible.”
Whoever ends up winning the leadership race will also have to decide whether to call an early election before Parliament is set to come back on March 24. All political parties have been preparing for a snap election that could be called as early as this week.
Ottawa Liberal MP Mona Fortier said she and a group of volunteers have been working on the electoral platform to give to the next leader “so they don’t start with a blank page.”
“The person who will win today will be receiving a copy of what we worked on thus far,” she told the National Post. “I wanted something ready, and we have something ready.”
Fortier said it was important for her to “take the pulse” on the changing geopolitical situation and the way Canadians have reacted so far. Without going into too much detail, she said the platform will be tackling themes of affordability, health and the economy.
The next leader will then be able to tweak the platform to their convenience.
“It’s a plug-and-play platform,” said Fortier.
National Post
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