SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Canada's ruling Liberal Party has a new leader.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: In first place, the next prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, with...
DETROW: Mark Carney won the Liberal Party's leadership contest today and will now replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who stepped down earlier this year after almost a decade in office. Carney is considered a political outsider, but his vast experience will be critical as he takes on Canada's economic challenges and President Trump's economic warfare. NPR's international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam has been following the story and joins us now. Hello.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
DETROW: So tell us about Mark Carney.
NORTHAM: Well, he's 59 years old. As you say, he's considered a political outsider, and really wasn't known in Canada before he entered the leadership race. He does have an international reputation. He spent time on Wall Street and was governor of the Bank of England during Brexit. And he's also headed up the Bank of Canada. You know, all that expertise is going to come in very handy as he tackles Canada's economy but also dealing with President Trump's seemingly chaotic trade policies, and he indicated that he and Canada were expecting a fight. Here he is.
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MARK CARNEY: We're all being called to stand up for each other and for the Canadian way of life. So let me ask you - who's ready?
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CARNEY: Who's ready to stand up for Canada with me?
NORTHAM: And you know, Scott, Carney said really that the relationship between Canada and the U.S. is in unchartered waters.
DETROW: Right. It's been clear that President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau do not get along. That relationship has gotten increasingly contentious in the past month or so. Can we expect a different dynamic between Carney and the president?
NORTHAM: Well, that's hard to say. You're right that Trudeau and Trump don't get along and that the relationship has been unraveling pretty fast recently with, you know, Trump calling Trudeau governor and Trudeau calling the president Donald. So Carney represents a fresh start between the countries. You know, he comes across as steady and lowkey, which could be helpful in negotiations with the U.S. But, you know, Carney also made it clear that he will be tough on Trump, and he has vowed that Canada will never be part of the United States.
DETROW: How exactly have those comments from President Trump or these tariffs had an effect on this leadership race and, more broadly, politics in Canada right now?
NORTHAM: Oh, sure. I mean, Trump's taunts to turn Canada into the 51st state and, you know, his demeaning comments about Trudeau have done a lot to unite Canadians and energize politics. People are angry and disappointed, and you've seen this wave of nationalism sweeping across the country. But I think it's fair to say that Trump has inadvertently hurt the opposition Conservative Party. You know, for more than a year, it was up 20 points in the polls. People were fed up with 10 years of Trudeau and the liberals. But the conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, is seen by many in Canada now as pro-Trump and pro-MAGA - something both he and Trump deny. But that reputation has cost the conservatives, and they're now running pretty much neck and neck with the liberals in the polls. So we'll see how that turns out in a federal election due later this year.
DETROW: So Carney is now the leader of the Liberal Party. He's not yet prime minister. When do we expect him to be sworn in?
NORTHAM: Well, there will be a short transition period for Trudeau to hand over power. And that could take - you know, people are expecting about a week. Under Canada's election law, a federal election must be held by October, but Carney could call one any time now, or, you know, an election can be triggered by a vote of nonconfidence in the government when Parliament resumes later this month. You know, but regardless, Scott, whoever becomes prime minister is going to have to deal with Trump, tariffs and the threats to Canada's sovereignty.
DETROW: That is NPR international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam. Thank you so much.
NORTHAM: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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