Mark Carney, the new prime minister of Canada, said that the country is going through a “moment of crisis” as it deals with a trade war started by the United States, which is its closest ally. At a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Carney, a former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, officially took over from Justin Trudeau, who resigned as prime minister earlier on Friday. Gov. Gen. The ceremony, which also saw Carney reveal 23 cabinet ministers, was presided over by Mary Simon. This is a much smaller group than Trudeau’s cabinet, which had 39 members, including him. In his first press conference as prime minister on Friday, Carney said the “leaner cabinet” will be “action-oriented,” focusing on protecting Canadians in the face of “unjustified foreign trade actions.”
According to Carney, the president’s cabinet is comprised of 13 men and 11 women. “The cabinet is much smaller because it is focused on the issues that are most important to Canadians, meeting the moment, and the moment is a moment of crisis.” Some of the current ministers who primarily deal with the United States will continue in their positions. These include Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Public Safety Minister David McGuinty. Dominic LeBlanc will remain as minister of intergovernmental affairs and also becomes minister of international trade, while his finance portfolio goes to Francois-Philippe Champagne, who is the new finance minister.
Carney, who is not a member of Parliament, is expected to seek a seat in the House of Commons in short order, and speculation is high that he could trigger a snap election quickly.
He stated, “There will be other news in the coming days with respect to ensuring that we have as strong a mandate that is needed for the time,” but he did not specify whether an early election would be called. Carney gave some brief remarks to reporters before the ceremony, saying, “We’re going to get straight to work.”
“We’re a very focused government. We’re focused on action,” he said.
Carney was set to chair a meeting of the new cabinet Friday afternoon.
As new PM, Mark Carney says Canada is in a ‘moment of crisis’
