Who is Mark Carney, the man replacing Justin Trudeau as prime minister of Canada?

Justin Trudeau is no longer prime minister of Canada, as his successor was announced on Sunday as Mark Carney, who won the leadership election with more than 85 per cent of the vote.

He replaces Trudeau following his decision to step down back in January amid calls to resign from his own Liberal Party MPs. He had served as prime minister since 2015.

Who is he?

Mark Carney will likely be a familiar name and face for many people in the UK, as he headed up the Bank of England between 2013 and 2020.

Before that, he ran Canada’s central bank from 2008 to 2013, and after leading the UK equivalent for seven years, he left to become the United Nations’ envoy for climate action and finance.

The 59-year-old is currently chairman of the alternative investment firm Brookfield Asset Management.

Mark Carney replaces Justin Trudeau as PM of Canada – but who is he? Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Who else was in the leadership race?

Carney was up against former finance minister Chrystia Freeland (8 per cent), Burlington MP Karina Gould (3 per cent) and ex-Pierrefonds-Dollard MP and businessman Frank Baylis.

How long will he be prime minister?

Much like the UK electoral process, the leader of the party with the most seats in a federal (general) election becomes prime minister, and electoral law in Canada gives the maximum interval between those elections as five years,

Keep reading for information on when the next Canadian federal election will take place, but depending on how well the Liberals perform, Carney could only be in post for several months if his ruling party is defeated in the election and he decides to resign as a result.

Indeed, CBC News’ poll tracker reports current polling is giving the Conservatives – led by Pierre Poilievre – a comfortable lead over the Liberals, placing them on 40.3 per cent and 30.8 per cent respectively.

Who were election polls predicting would win?

As for opinion polls for the Liberal’s leadership contest, an Ipsos Mori survey in January, commissioned by Canada’s Global News, revealed Freeland had the highest positive impression score at 29 per cent, followed by Carney at 17 per cent.

Gould and Baylis were not listed on the final infographic.

When is the next Canadian election?

The Canadian government’s website gives the date of the next one as 20 October 2025.

What has Mark Carney said about Donald Trump's tariffs and “51st state” comments?

Following his election victory, Carney stressed Canada will “never ever” be a part of the USA.

He said: “We have made this the greatest country in the world and now our neighbours want to take us. No way.

“Think about it. If they succeeded, they would destroy our way of life … America is a melting pot. Canada is a mosaic.

“America is not Canada. Canada will never ever be part of America in any way, shape or form.”

As for Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs (he announced he would be pausing them on most Canadian goods for a month last week), to which Canada responded with 25 per cent tariffs of its own, Carney said he will “keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect”.

“We did not ask for this fight. But Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves. Make no mistake, Canada will win,” the new PM added.

Why not read…

• Trump’s plans for Greenland, Canada and Panama could be derailed by new Democrat bill
• Trump questions if NATO would help the US - and 'forgets key moments from history'

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