59-year-old economist Mark Carney has previously been the Riksbank manager in both Canada and the UK. This is the first time that a person without any real political experience has become the country’s prime minister, reports Reuters.
He was favorite for the Liberals ‘vote on Sunday and eventually received tremendous support with 85.9 percent of the 400,000 party members’ votes.
After over nine years in power, the country’s former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in January that he would resign. This after a growing dissatisfaction with him, both within the party and from the Canadian population.
Takes over in customs war
Mark Carney takes over power in the midst of an ongoing trade war with the country’s near allied United States, which recently threatened with customs on Canadian goods that are deemed to be able to paralyze the country’s economy.
“Canadians are facing an existential challenge from our neighbor,” the now deposed Trudeau told the Liberals during their departure speech in Ottawa on Sunday.
– In both hockey and trade, Canada will win, carney countered during his first speech as the prime minister.