Ottawa [Canada], March 11: Veteran economist Mark Carney has been elected as successor to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, amid trade tensions with the US.
CBC News reported on March 10 that former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney has just won a convincing victory in the race to become leader of the ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Convincing victory
The results of the vote showed that Mr. Carney (60 years old) won 85.9% of the total votes, far surpassing the 8% of the second-placed person, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, to become the leader of the Liberal Party. Mr. Carney is expected to take office in the next few days.
Prime Minister Trudeau announced in January his intention to resign as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, saying the party was being distracted by infighting and that Canada deserved "a real choice" in the next election. Carney is expected to serve out the remainder of Trudeau's term and Canada will hold a general election before October 20.
A veteran economist, Mr. Carney is also the first person to lead two major central banks. He studied at Harvard University and Oxford University , worked for Goldman Sachs Bank (USA) before joining the Canadian Ministry of Finance in 2004. He was Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2007 - 2013 and played an important role in helping Canada avoid the worst impact of the global financial crisis that began in 2007. He was Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 - 2020 and warned of economic damage if the UK left the European Union (EU). After that, he held the positions: UN special envoy for climate and finance, Vice Chairman of Brookfield Asset Management Company (Canada).
Influence from America
Previous polls had shown that the opposition Conservative Party was expected to win, regardless of who led the Liberal Party. However, support for the Liberal Party has surged after the party made clear its determination to counter US President Donald Trump's tough trade policies. A survey by the French company Ipsos released on February 25 with the participation of 1,000 Canadian adults showed that the Liberal Party has come out on top for the first time in four years, winning 38% compared to 36% for the Conservative Party.
During the election campaign, Mr. Carney advocated retaliatory tariffs against the United States and a strategy to increase investment. He repeatedly complained that Canada's growth under Mr. Trudeau was not good enough. Speaking after his victory, Mr. Carney accused the United States under President Donald Trump of trying to take over Canada, an effort that Mr. Carney said must be defeated.
"Americans want our resources, our water, our land and our country. Mr. Trump is attacking Canadian workers , families and businesses. We cannot let him succeed," AFP quoted Mr. Carney as saying. He pledged to implement action plans to build a strong economy, create new trade relationships with trusted partners and protect the border. In addition, he announced to maintain the retaliatory tariffs on the US and use this money to support Canadian workers . " My government will keep our tariffs until the Americans show respect," he stressed.
The US imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian goods on March 4, prompting Canada to immediately impose similar tariffs on many goods from the US. Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the second round of retaliatory tariffs would be postponed, after Mr. Trump announced a one-month suspension of tariffs on some Canadian products.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
