Carney vows to lead ‘united Canada’ against Trump after election win

OTTAWA: Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged on Tuesday to confront President Donald Trump with the “overwhelming positive force” of a united Canada after a dramatic election win that earned the Liberal Party a new term in power.

Carney´s Liberals will form the next government but were waiting to see if they secured a majority, with a handful of races in Canada´s 343 electoral districts still uncalled.The Liberals secured 168 seats, short of the 172 required to form a majority government.

They may fall just short of the required 172 seats, but the public broadcaster CBC has not called the race, saying the outstanding vote in several seats could tip the Liberals over the line.

Following a campaign dominated by Trump´s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a United States that is newly hostile to free trade.

“We will win this trade war and build the strongest economy in the G7,” Carney said. “It is time to be bold, to meet this crisis with the overwhelming positive force of a united Canada,” he added, stressing the need to work across party lines.

His victory was an extraordinary comeback for the Liberals, who until recently looked headed for an electoral wipeout. Pierre Poilievre´s Conservative Party had been on track to win the vote but Trump´s attacks, combined with the departure of unpopular former prime minister Justin Trudeau, transformed the race.

Carney, who replaced Trudeau as prime minister just last month, convinced voters that his experience managing economic crises made him the ideal candidate to defy Trump. He led the Bank of Canada through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and headed the Bank of England through the turmoil surrounding the 2016 Brexit vote.

“If Donald Trump hadn´t been there, the Conservatives probably would have won,” said University of Ottawa political scientist Genevieve Tellier. Poilievre lost his own seat in a shock, but indicated he would seek to stay on as opposition leader.

Conceding defeat on Tuesday, he promised to work with the Liberals to counter Trump. “We will always put Canada first,” Poilievre told supporters in Ottawa.

“Conservatives will work with the prime minister and all parties with the common goal of defending Canada´s interests and getting a new trade deal that puts these tariffs behind us.”