Mark Carney to succeed Justin Trudeau as head of Canada’s Liberal Party

• Mark Carney was elected to be the new head of Canada’s governing Liberal Party on Sunday. Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would be resigning back in January.
• Trudeau’s resignation follows a tumultuous few years that saw the once-popular prime minister’s approval ratings plummet among his own party, allies in Parliament, and the Canadian population at large.
• Carney, the former head of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, has no prior political experience but garnered support from numerous Cabinet officials and members of Parliament.

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Mark Carney was elected to be the new head of Canada’s governing Liberal Party Sunday, March 9, following a tumultuous few years that culminated in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation. Carney will succeed Trudeau as the Liberals’ new leader. He will also serve as prime minister following Trudeau’s last official day in office and serve as the Liberal candidate in the next election.

Following a decade at the helm of Canada’s governing Liberal Party, Trudeau’s approval rating among his own party, allies in Parliament and the Canadian population at large has plummeted in recent years, leading to a vote of no confidence that took place Dec. 9, 2024. Trudeau officially announced his resignation roughly a month later, on Jan. 6. At the same time, he prorogued Parliament –– or postponed all of its activities –– until March.

Trudeau’s last official day as prime minister has yet to be determined. During a press conference Tuesday, March 4, Trudeau said “That will be up to a conversation between the new leader and myself to figure out how long a transition is needed.”

Now, as the governing party’s new leader, Carney can call for a prime ministerial election, or Parliament’s opposition parties can trigger one by holding a vote of no confidence. Either way, an election is expected sometime this month.

The 59-year-old Carney formerly served as the head of the Bank of Canada. He was also the first noncitizen to lead the Bank of England since its founding in 1694. Carney’s appointment to that role enjoyed bipartisan support from the U.K. thanks to his leadership during the 2008 financial crisis.

Carney announced his candidacy to lead the Liberal Party shortly after Trudeau announced his resignation in January. He has since been endorsed by numerous Cabinet ministers and members of Parliament. All this despite having no real political experience.

While a general election was required to be held before the fall, Trudeau recognized it was time to step down or risk forcing his party into an election viewed through the lens of his leadership –– leadership that has taken a significant battering over rising costs of living and immigration numbers. The Conservatives have enjoyed a groundswell of support in recent years, riding largely on these issues.

According to one poll conducted by Abacus Data in January, Conservatives held a 46% lead to the Liberal Party’s 20%.

However, Trudeau is now stepping down at a time when Canadian sentiment is swinging back in the Liberals’ favor, largely driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to, at best, impose tariffs on the country and, at worst, annex it and turn it into the “51st state” –– something Canadian leadership is taking “very seriously.”

A CBC poll published March 5 still has the Conservatives in the lead with 40.3%. However, the Liberals have since notched their way up to 30.8%, carving out some of the smaller parties’ support, such as the NDP, which has dropped from 19% to 14% over the last three months.

Simply put, the upcoming election will be less a referendum on Trudeau and more a choice of who is best equipped to protect Canadian interests against the Trump administration.

“In many ways, it’s an all encompassing, fundamental issue about the survival of the country,” Luc Turgeon, a political science professor at the University of Ottawa, told BBC.