Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, launched his term in office on Friday with a firm rejection of US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to annex its northern neighbour.
Shortly after being sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister, replacing Justin Trudeau, who had been in office since 2015, Carney stated that confronting Trump’s tariffs would be a top priority.
“Canada will never, ever, in any way, shape, or form, be part of the United States,” he said while expressing hope that his government could one day “work together” with Washington to advance each country’s interests.
Ottawa has been unsettled by deteriorating cross-border relations since Trump returned to power in January, launching a trade war and demanding that Canada surrender its independence to become the 51st US state.
In response, Ottawa has retaliated against Trump’s tariffs, while Canadian public opinion has been outraged by the US president’s insistence that the border separating the two countries should be erased.
Carney has described the Trump administration as the greatest challenge Canada has faced in a generation.
He became prime minister after overwhelmingly winning a Liberal Party vote to replace Trudeau as leader.
However, the former central banker, who turns 60 on Sunday, is a political novice who has never won an elected public office.
Carney’s political abilities may soon be put to the test, as Canada is likely heading towards a general election in the coming weeks.
He announced that he would travel to Paris and London next week as part of an effort to reinforce Canada’s alliances overseas amid worsening ties with the United States.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Carney on Friday.
Election looms
Carney previously worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before serving as Governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008–2009 financial crisis. He also led the Bank of England through the turmoil surrounding the Brexit vote.
He has sought to present himself as the right leader to guide Canada through a trade war with the United States, which was once its closest ally but is now, according to Carney, a country that Canada can “no longer trust.”
However, his tenure as prime minister may be brief.
Polls ahead of the upcoming election indicate a tight race against the opposition Conservatives, who have sought to portray Carney as an elitist disconnected from the struggles of ordinary Canadians.
Carney has countered that his global experience, including in the private sector, equips him to drive the Canadian economy forward as it faces a rupture with its most important trading partner.
“Carney is arriving at a good time. He has emerged as a figure people seem to trust to take on Donald Trump,” said University of Winnipeg politics professor Felix Mathieu.
In the same week that Trump’s sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports took effect, Carney visited a steel plant in Hamilton, an industrial city near the US border in Ontario.
Wearing a hard hat and goggles, Carney said he was prepared to negotiate a trade deal with Trump.
However, he insisted that “respect for Canadian sovereignty” must be a fundamental condition of any agreement.
Carney has also made clear efforts to distance himself from Trudeau, making moves aimed at attracting more centrist voters.
He has said that tackling climate change will be a priority, but he plans to scrap Trudeau’s “divisive” carbon tax on individuals and families while promoting market-led solutions.
Despite this, the cabinet sworn in alongside Carney on Friday retains much of Trudeau’s team, including key figures involved in trade negotiations with the United States.
AFP