Mark Carney was announced as the new leader of the Liberal Party in Ottawa tonight following a party vote that featured four candidates.
“I will work day and night with one purpose, which is to build a stronger Canada for everyone,” said Carney on the Rogers Centre podium after being named leader.
“I feel like everything in my life has helped me prepare for this moment.”
He will step in as the 24th prime minister of Canada once he is sworn in by Governor General Mary Simon. Before he is sworn in, Carney is the prime minister-designate.
Carney won convincingly with 85.9 per cent of the vote in the first round, bigger than Trudeau’s leadership win in 2013.
Despite not being a sitting MP before the race, Carney was the Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and the Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020.
He is often credited with helping Canada through the worst of the 2008 financial crisis. He also helped England through Brexit.
Carney was the only leadership candidate who was not a MP under the Trudeau government, but he has been an informal advisor in the past.
The other candidates in the race were former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, former Liberal House Leader Karina Gould and Montreal businessman Frank Baylis.
Carney’s leadership victory follows Justin Trudeau’s Jan. 6 announcement that he would resign as Prime Minister following a leadership race.
Justin Trudeau first took the helm of the Liberal Party in April 2013 and was first elected in October 2015.
“We have an opportunity, therefore a responsibility, to ensure that Canada stays the best country on Earth … We stood up for each other and every time we emerged even stronger,” said Trudeau during his final speech as the leader of the Liberal Party.
Carney steps in at a tumultuous time for the country, with volatile threats of economic warfare from United States President Donald Trump, including tariffs on Canadian exports and his tease to make Canada the 51st state.
“[Trump’s] attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses and we cannot let him succeed,” said Carney.
The Liberal Fundy Royal candidate for the next federal election, Bill Kudla, said that his riding association supported Mark Carney in this vote.
The New Brunswick candidate said that this should be a “unifying” moment for the party.
“From what I’ve seen from all the leadership candidates, they’re all very, very willing to work together and to be united, regardless of what happens … I think going forward we need to have a much more cohesive country,” said Kudla.
Prior to Trudeau’s Jan. 6 announcement, he faced “internal battles” within his party.
He faced open calls for him to step down from 24 Liberal MPs and the party’s Atlantic, Ontario and Quebec regional caucuses.
The caucus of Atlantic, Quebec and Ontario represents 131 of the 153 Liberal MPs in the House of Commons.
The Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, was close to passing a non-confidence motion in the current government before Trudeau announced his intent to resign and prorogue Parliament.
Parliament will be back in session on March 24.
A Federal election must be held before Oct. 20, 2025, however, a passed motion of non-confidence would trigger a Federal election.
According to 338 Canada Polls, the Conservatives held a 6 per cent lead over the Liberals leading up to the new leader announcement on March 9.
That polling lead got to as high as 25 per cent the day before Trudeau announced his resignation.
Carney ended his victory speech by saying that “Canada is built on the strength of its people.”
“We are Canada strong.”
