Summary
Mark Carney has been elected as the new Liberal Party leader in Canada with a commanding 85.9% of votes, following Justin Trudeau’s resignation.
The former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor will become Canada’s 24th prime minister within days.
In his victory speech, Carney took aim at both Donald Trump and Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, vowing to maintain Canada’s tariffs until Americans “show us respect.”
Carney, despite never holding elected office, enters leadership as Canada faces trade tensions with the U.S. and a potential early election. He must secure a parliamentary seat and finalize the transition with Trudeau.
It is definitely atypical for the PM not to be a sitting MP, but it is within the confines of the constitution. The PM only needs to be elected by and then maintain the confidence of parliament.
It’s almost certain that he will call an election immediately, however. A non sitting PM won’t maintain parliamentary confidence for long.
Or a Liberal MP in a safe seat will resign and Carney will stand in the subsequent by-election.