MONTREAL, Canada – The Canadian administered Liberals have chosen Mark Carney to replace retired Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader.
The former Bank of Canada governor won the Liberal leader’s vote on Sunday, about two months after Trudeau announced plans to step down amid pressure on the affordable crisis and threat of a trade war with the United States.
Carney is taking the party’s reins as Canada and the US tensions have skyrocketed after President Donald Trump imposes sharp tariffs on Canadian goods.
Canada is also heading for a federal election that must take place by October 20th, but it could happen sooner.
So, what will happen now? Here, Al Jazeera will be the new Prime Minister of Canada, with Carney taking over as leader from Trudeau.
Kearney wins leadership
Carney won the leadership race by overwhelmingly winning the leadership race, where he faced former Canadian finance minister Christia Freeland, MP Carina Gould and businessman Frank Bayliss.
The economist and former central banker is not a member of the Canadian Parliament known as the House of Representatives, and has never detained a federal government office.
Under Canada’s Westminster Parliamentary Government System, they do not need to be elected to serve the Prime Minister, explained Andrea Lawler, an associate professor of political science and public policy at McMaster University, Ontario.
Instead, the prime minister must be someone who “can order the trust of the family,” Lawler told Al Jazeera.
In reality, this usually meant whether the prime minister was the leader of the party with the most seats in parliament, and who could form the government. The Liberal Party currently has a minority government.
However, Sunday’s vote made Carney the leader of the liberal party, but he has not yet formally stepped into his role as prime minister.
Trudeau must officially resign
Trudeau, who has been prime minister since 2015, announced in January that he would resign as Liberal Party leader and prime minister after his successor was selected.
Now that Carney has been chosen as the new leader, Trudeau must officially step down.
That includes going to the governor, the official who plays a largely symbolic role in supporting the Canadian government system.
“For the transition of power, the Prime Minister must resign on who his successor should be and notify the Governor of his intention to advise them,” explained Daniel Beland, a professor at McGill University in Montreal.
“After the general accepts the Prime Minister’s resignation, he can appoint a successor by acting on the advice of the resigning prime minister.”
It is unclear when Trudeau plans to go to Governor.
Speaking to reporters last Thursday, the resigned prime minister said, “We look forward to the transition to a formally elected successor in the coming days or week.”
Kearney was invited to form a government
When the Governor accepts Trudeau’s resignation and his advice, Carney is asked to form the government.
CBC News reported last week that preparations for the prime minister transition process from Trudeau to his successor as a liberal leader is already quietly underway.
One of the top questions is the size and configuration of Kearney cabinets.
Several members of the Trudeau government, including Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie and Finance Minister Dominique LeBlanc, support Carney’s liberal leader’s bids and are expected to be part of his future cabinet.
Every time Carney is officially sworn as prime minister, he will speak on behalf of a liberal minority government.
I will be joining the House of Representatives
After winning the top post, Carney is about to win his seat in Congress soon, Lawler said.
“A lot of what we expect as Canadians is that the Prime Minister becomes a legitimate member of the home through elections and faces the opposition across the aisle,” she told Al Jazeera.
Carney can try to join Congress either through the so-called by-elections, special elections to fill a single seat – or general elections.
“I think the party’s internal calculations depend on what it is. [election]Roller said. “I think there’s a lot to be determined by how well he’s doing in the polls.”
Federal elections must be held by October 20th, but as a party of government, the Liberal Party can always effectively call votes.
Experts say there is likely to be an early election call as the party rides a wave of increased support with Trump’s tariffs and Trudeau’s decision to step down.
Opposition parties can also trigger elections by passing a no-confidence vote in the House. Trudeau announced his resignation in January and lawmakers are scheduled to return on March 24th.
Canada’s Conservatives and Bullockebekoy said they have planned to overthrow the Liberal Party on recent opportunities and that early elections are needed to make a strong response to US tariffs.
Career Government
If the election begins, Carney and the liberals will effectively act as caregiver governments.
If the race begins before Carney has the opportunity to win a seat in Congress, it paves the way for new questions and criticism.
As it stands, Kearney is not elected, so he is not yet exposed to rules governing Canadian lawmakers. It includes requirements for disclosure of financial holdings and potential conflicts of interest.
Opposition lawmakers were calling on Carney to voluntarily adhere to these rules, even before he officially gained leadership.
Conservative MP Michelle Lempel Garner also raised questions last week when it was reported that Canadian foreign minister Jolie gave Carney an explanation about US tariffs.
“I’m a member of parliament. The liberal government has closed the parliament, but no one has got a briefing and no one has been elected?” Lempel Garner said in a post on X.
Lawler also said that when Carney becomes prime minister, “they need to obtain certain security clearances to access information about border integrity or Canada’s defense.”
“It’s not clear what we’re doing in these scenarios, so it’s very important for the party leader to compete for seats and become members of the family,” she said.
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