Blitz Bureau
MARK Carney, leading economist and former Governor of the Bank of Canada, won the race to become leader of nation’s ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister.
Carney, 59, took 86 per cent of votes cast to beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.
He will stay in power till the scheduled General Election in October, in all probability facing Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in the ultimate battle. Carney had pledged to “rebuild” the strained ties with India during his recent election campaign.
India-Canada ties had nosedived last year as Trudeau made “ludicrous statements” repeatedly, further damaging the already strained ties. However, while pitching himself as the frontrunner to replace Trudeau, Carney has given signals to mend the relationship.
“What Canada will be looking to do is to diversify our trading relationships with like-minded countries, and there are opportunities to rebuild the relationship with India,” said Carney during an interaction in Calgary recently. Also, 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 under President Donald Trump and must hold a general election soon.
“There’s someone who’s trying to weaken our economy,” Carney said of Trump, spurring loud boos at the party gathering. “He’s attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We can’t let him succeed.” “This won’t be business as usual,” Carney said. “We will have to do things that we haven’t imagined before, at speeds we didn’t think possible.”
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 nationdefining moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given,” Trudeau said. Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada’s export-dependent economy.
