Carney wins: Canada's Prime Minister turns around long-lost election - thanks to Trump's big mob

Just a few months ago, Carney's challenger, the dashing populist Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party of Canada, was leading with a tremendous advantage: He was leading in the polls by as much as 25 percentage points. But the career politician, Poilievre, also had a huge disadvantage: Trump repeatedly harped on the issue of Canada becoming the 51st state of the USA, and the conservative, who is close to him on other issues ("fighting the establishment"), distanced himself too late from these attacks on the sovereignty of the Maple State.

Carney's Liberal Party won 156 of 343 seats in the House of Commons, according to forecasts, making the formation of a minority government likely. Before and after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation in January, the Liberals had been performing poorly in the polls. But Carney, party leader only since March, relied on two factors:

First, his international experience as a top banker should give voters confidence in his ability to tackle economic disruptions such as weak growth and unaffordable property and rental prices.

And second, that he was unfazed by Trump's insults, which regularly mocked Justin Trudeau as "Governor," as if Canada had already been incorporated into the United States. Thus, the confrontation turned out to be like a schoolyard encounter between the powerful bully, Trump, 6'3", and his supposed victim, Carney, who was half a head shorter.

Carney, 60, didn't back down when Trump, 78, imposed high tariffs on Canada, especially its auto parts industry. Instead, he declared that the US was "no longer a reliable partner." And: "The old relationship we had with the United States, based on deepening integration of our economies and close security and military cooperation, is over."

The United States' North American neighbor must "reorient its trade relations and do things that were previously thought impossible, at a pace we haven't seen in generations." Trump has permanently changed the relationship between the long-standing allies: "There is no turning back!"

Suddenly, there was talk of rapprochement between Canada and the EU. Trump seemed alarmed. "If the European Union works with Canada to inflict economic damage on the United States, both it and Canada will face far higher tariffs than currently planned," the President warned.

But Carney, born in Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories, didn't back down. With the stubbornness attributed to the people of this inhospitable region of midnight sun and subzero temperatures, he announced a meeting with cabinet ministers to discuss all trade options. "We will defend our workers, we will defend our businesses, we will defend our country, and we will defend it together," Carney said.

Poilievre, however, didn't give the impression that he wanted to bow to Trump. He, too, firmly rejected the US president's call for Canada's accession and emphasized the country's sovereignty. "Canada will never be the 51st state. Period. We are a great and independent country," said the 45-year-old. He called on Trump not to interfere in Canada's election.

But this stance was evidently perceived by many of his compatriots as too hesitant. His previous proximity to populist movements and his initial reluctance to distance himself from Trump's policies made Poilievre's policies seem vague.

Economist Carney, on the other hand, was convincing in his clarity. Carney earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University. He earned a master's degree from the University of Oxford in Great Britain in 1993, and two years later, he received his doctorate.

Carney began his professional career in New York City at Goldman Sachs. In 2003, he moved to the Bank of Canada, a year later he went to the Canadian Ministry of Finance, and in 2008 he returned to the national central bank to become its CEO (Governor).

As the youngest central bank chief among all G20 countries, Carney had to respond to the global financial crisis during this time. Unlike the European Central Bank, which raised interest rates in July 2008, Carney opted for the unconventional instrument of the "conditional commitment." He left the key interest rate unchanged to maintain market confidence.

Canada emerged from the crisis better than the other G7 countries. Canada's employment figures were the first of all developed economies to return to pre-crisis levels.

In his next career move, Carney served as the first non-British CEO (Governor) of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020. He then advised the Canadian government – ​​and warmed up to top politics.

Carney is considered an ideologically non-partisan technocrat. In September 2024, Prime Minister Trudeau appointed him chair of the party's task force on economic growth. Following Trudeau's resignation announcement in January, Carney threw his hat into the ring and was sworn in as Canada's 24th Prime Minister on March 14. One of his first acts in office was the elimination of the consumer carbon tax by ministerial directive effective April 1, 2025.

Trump was recently asked whether he saw Carney or Poilievre as the winners of the election. "I'd rather deal with a leftist than a conservative," Trump said. "I think it's ultimately easier to negotiate with a leftist." This hope, if it was honestly expressed, has come true for the American president. Now he can soon test how deals with Prime Minister Carney pan out. Incidentally, Trump quite correctly refers to him on social media as the "Prime Minister" of Canada, not "Governor." The schoolyard bully has clearly learned his lesson.