Canada’s next prime minister, Mark Carney, vows to win the trade war against US President Donald Trump, after winning the race to succeed Justin Trudeau.
“Americans should make no mistake: in trade, as in hockey, Canada will win,” the ex-bank of England governor tells supporters
Carney, who will be sworn in as PM in the coming days, pledges retaliatory tariffs on US goods until “Americans show us respect”
The 59-year-old, who has never held elected office, easily won the leadership race with 86% of the vote
Carney is likely to announce a speedy general election, and although the gap is narrowing with the Conservative opposition, the polls show them still in the lead.
Meantime the outgoing leader Justin Trudeau gave a defiant farewell address last night in the face of Donald Trump’s economic threats, as his Liberal Party picked a new leader.
His daughter Ella-Grace Trudeau, 16, introduced him to the stage at the leadership event and spoke about the challenges of growing up in the public eye.
“I’m looking forward to seeing more of him at home and less of him online,” she said, referring to what she described as a stream of news about her father on social media.
In his farewell address, Trudeau, who once said in his early years that he would never go into politics, proclaimed that he was “damn proud” of the past 10 years.
“But tonight is about our future, as a party, as a country,” he added.
The 53-year-old, who promised “sunny ways” when he swept to power in 2015, recounted the “challenging” past years, saying Canadians have faced “crisis after crisis”.
A big part of his speech was the escalating trade tensions between Canada and the US. At one point, Trudeau said Canada was facing an “existential threat” from his neighbour.
“Your country needs you more than ever,” he said, as the crowd clapped and cheered.
He ended his speech by saying: “I have done my level best, every single day to help build a country that stays worthy of all Canadians.”
