Ottawa – (Reuters) – Former central banker Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister, official results showed on Sunday.
Carney will take over at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is in the midst of a trade war with longtime ally the United States and must hold a general election soon.
Carney, 59, took 86% of votes cast to beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.
Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his approval rating plummeted, forcing the ruling Liberal Party to run a quick contest to replace him.
“Make no mistake, this is a nation-defining moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given,” Trudeau said.
“Now, as Canadians face, from our neighbour, an existential challenge, an economic crisis, Canadians are showing exactly what we are made of.”
Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada’s export-dependent economy.
