Politics, Canada Theo Edwards Politics, Canada Theo Edwards

In His Victory Speech, Mark Carney Warns Canadians That 'Trump is Trying to 'Break Us'

In a remarkable turnaround fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party has won the federal election. In his victory speech, Carney emphasized the importance of unity in response to threats from Washington. He stated that the mutually beneficial relationship between Canada and the U.S. that has existed since World War II has come to an end. "We have moved past the shock of American betrayal, but we must never forget the lessons," he said. Carney warned that America desires our land, resources, water, and control over our country, adding that these are not mere idle threats. 

"President Trump is attempting to weaken us so that America can dominate us. That will never happen," he declared. However, he acknowledged that our world has fundamentally changed.
 
 

In a remarkable turnaround fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party has won the federal election. In his victory speech, Carney emphasized the importance of unity in response to threats from Washington. He stated that the mutually beneficial relationship between Canada and the U.S. that has existed since World War II has come to an end. "We have moved past the shock of American betrayal, but we must never forget the lessons," he said. Carney warned that America desires our land, resources, water, and control over our country, adding that these are not mere idle threats. "President Trump is attempting to weaken us so that America can dominate us. That will never happen," he declared. However, he acknowledged that our world has fundamentally changed.

 
April 28, 202510:32 PM ET | Heard on Morning Edition | Jackie Northam for npr

Canada's Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney applauds at a victory party in Ottawa, Ontario on April 29, 2025 | DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Mark Carney stays on as Canada's prime minister, according to the projections of the national broadcaster CBC/Radio Canada, in one of the country's most consequential elections in decades.

But it's still not clear if his Liberal Party will win the 172 seats needed for an outright majority in Parliament. The full results will not be available until Tuesday.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre lost his own Ontario seat to the Liberals, a seat he has held for 20 years. In a concession speech early Tuesday morning, Poilievre said that his party "didn't quite get over the finish line."

The vote was widely seen as a decision about which candidate could best handle President Trump, who helped spark a wave of nationalism across Canada by threatening to annex Canada and placing stiff tariffs on the country.

"As I've been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country," Carney told supporters Monday night. "These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never ... ever happen."

Carney now enters parliament for the first time after winning a seat in Ottawa's Nepean constituency.

The election results quickly drew international reaction. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union's top official, quickly praised Carney. "I look forward to working closely together, both bilaterally and within the G7," she wrote on ‘X’. "We'll defend our shared democratic values, promote multilateralism, and champion free and fair trade."

 
 

Added Australian Prime Minister, also on X: "In a time of global uncertainty, I look forward to continuing to work with you to build on the enduring friendship between our nations, in the shared interests of all our citizens."

And after a rocky few years of Canadian-Chinese relations, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said "China is willing to develop China-Canada relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit."

The 60-year-old Carney had a career in investment banking before becoming the governor of the Bank of England during the Brexit turmoil, and as the head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 economic downturn.

Carney had never held political office before being named leader of the Liberal Party in March. His background in finance and his seemingly unflappable demeanor helped convince voters he was the candidate who could best tackle Trump and his sometimes erratic policies.

Carney beat out Pierre Poilievre, a 45-year-old career politician and head of the Conservative Party. It was a stunning reversal of fortunes for Poilievre, who for more than a year rode high in the polls, at one point with his Conservatives up 27 points over the Liberals.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to his supporters after losing the Canadian Federal Election on April 29, 2025 in Ottawa, Canada.

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Poilievre's momentum began to slip in January when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned. The Liberal Party's Trudeau was widely disliked in Canada by the end of his decade-long tenure, and his resignation gave the Liberals a lift. Carney became Trudeau's successor.

But the real boost came when President Trump began targeting Canada's economy and its sovereignty. Many Canadians were outraged by Trump's threat to make Canada the 51st state — a threat he repeated in a post on social media on election day.

Many of Poilievre's positions and much of his rhetoric mirror Trump — albeit on a more moderate level. The Conservative leader has a "Canada First" slogan, he wants tighter borders, smaller government and to end what right-wing politicians consider "wokeness." While his proposals resonated with some voters early on, Poilievre's association with Trump ultimately ended up hurting him badly.

It is the fourth consecutive federal election the Conservative Party has lost, leading some analysts to believe the party will now go through a time of reckoning about its message and appeal.

 
 
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Politics, Canada, Trade War, USA Theo Edwards Politics, Canada, Trade War, USA Theo Edwards

Mark Carney Wins Race to Replace Trudeau as Canada's Prime Minister

OTTAWA, March 9 (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 under President Donald Trump and must hold a general election soon.

Reuters
By Promit Mukherjee and Ismail Shakil | March 10, 20252:46 AM EDT | Updated a day ago

Summary

  • Justin Trudeau stepping down after more than nine years in power
  • Former central banker Mark Carney will be next Prime Minister
  • Carney promises to fight Trump's tariffs

OTTAWA, March 9 (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 under President Donald Trump 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.

"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."

“Full Mark Carney speech tackles Trump tariffs after becoming new Prime Minister of Canada”
— Source

"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 nation-defining 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.

Trudeau has imposed C$30 billion of retaliatory tariffs on the United States in response to tariffs Trump levied on Canada.

"My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect," Carney said.

Carney's win marks the first time an outsider with no real political background has become Canadian prime minister. He has said his experience as the first person to serve as the governor of two G7 central banks - Canada and England - meant he was the best candidate to deal with Trump.

The prospect of a fresh start for the Liberal Party under Carney, combined with Trump's tariffs and his repeated taunts to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state, led to a remarkable revival of Liberal fortunes.

RALLY-AROUND-THE-FLAG MOMENT

At the start of 2025, the party trailed by 20 or more points but is now statistically tied with the official opposition Conservatives led by career politician Pierre Poilievre in several polls.

At a protest outside Canada's Parliament building in Ottawa on Sunday, dozens of Canadians held up signs protesting Trump with no reference to domestic politics.

"There is a rallying-around-the-flag moment that we would never have predicted a year ago," said University of British Columbia politics professor Richard Johnston. "I think it's probably true as we speak that the Liberals have been saved from oblivion."

Polls though indicate that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives would be able to form a majority government. An election must be held by October 20.

Two Liberal Party sources said Carney would call an election in the coming weeks, meaning one could take place much sooner.

Carney could legally serve as prime minister without a seat in the House of Commons but tradition dictates that he should seek to win one as soon as possible.

Liberals sought to compare Conservative leader Poilievre to Trump in a recent advertisement. Poilievre in turn ramped up attacks on Carney on Sunday.

Source: Reuters
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Reporting by David Ljunggren, Promit Mukherjee and Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Mark Porter and Diane Craft
“FULL SPEECH: Justin Trudeau gives final speech as Liberal Party leader”
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