- Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre conceded defeat to Carney’s Liberals and said his party would hold the minority government to account
In his victory speech, Canada’s newly elected prime minister Mark Carney said his country should “never forget the lessons” of the United States’ “betrayal,” in a stark rebuke of President Donald Trump, after his Liberal party won control of parliament.
“We will win this trade war,” Carney told cheering supporters in Ottawa, while warning of “challenging” days ahead brought on by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats.
“We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” Carney said.
“As I’ve been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country.
“These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, ever happen.”
The result capped a notable comeback for the Liberals, who had been 20 points behind in the polls in January before Justin Trudeau announced he was quitting and Trump started threatening tariffs and annexation.
The public broadcaster CBC and CTV News both projected the Liberals would form Canada’s next government over the Pierre Poilievre-led Conservatives, but it was not yet clear if they would hold a majority in parliament.
Trump’s trade war and threats to annex Canada, which he renewed in an election day social media post, outraged Canadians and made dealing with the US a top campaign issue.
Carney, who had never held elected office and only replaced Trudeau as prime minister last month, anchored his campaign on an anti-Trump message.
He previously served as central bank governor in both Britain and Canada and persuaded voters his global financial experience has prepared him to guide Canada through a trade war.
Carney promised to expand overseas trading relations to curb Canada’s reliance on the US.
“They want our resources, they want our water, they want our land, they want our country. They can’t have it,” he said.
But Trudeau’s departure was also crucial to the Liberal win, which marked one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history.
On 6 January, the day Trudeau announced he would resign, the Conservatives led the Liberals by more than 20 points in most polls, as voter anger over soaring costs mounted after Trudeau’s decade in power.
Mark Carney has never held elected office before and was only appointed as Canada’s prime minister last month. Source: AAP / Sean Kilpatrick/AP
But Carney replacing Trudeau, combined with nationwide unease about Trump, transformed the race.
Carney, 60, distanced himself from Trudeau throughout the campaign.
He said Trudeau did not focus enough on growing Canada’s economy and scrapped a controversial tax on carbon emissions that left many voters seething.
Nearly 29 million of Canada’s 41 million people were eligible to vote in the massive G7 country that spans six time zones. A record 7.3 million people cast advanced ballots.
A party needs 172 seats to form a majority government. The Liberals won a majority in 2015 but have governed with a minority since 2019.
@SBS
