Adds recent poll data on national election, more on Carney's background.
Mark Carney is to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada's prime minister after comfortably winning the governing Liberal Party's leadership contest.
Carney, who served as governor for the Bank of Canada and then the Bank of England, will be sworn in later this week once Trudeau officially resigns. Carney has never held political office and does not have a seat in Canada's House of Commons.
In his victory speech, he vowed to protect Canada's sovereignty and stand firm in the face of US president Donald Trump's trade war. Although Trump on 7 March repealed most of the tariffs he imposed on Canada just a few days earlier, Carney pledged to continue with retaliatory measures.
"My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans can show us respect," he said. "The Americans, they should make no mistake, in trade, as in hockey, Canada will win."
Carney also referenced Trump's repeated calls to make Canada "the 51st state" of the US, vowing that "Canada never ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form".
Liberals rebound in polls on tariff war
Carney will stand for the Liberal Party in the next general election, which must be held by 20 October. Opposition parties have vowed to trigger a general election at first chance when Parliament returns to session on 24 March, but a recent rebound in polls may prompt the Liberals to call one earlier yet.
An Ipsos poll done in late-February showed the Liberals making up a 26-point deficit to take a narrow lead, the first time since 2021. The Conservatives have since pulled ahead slightly, according to Nanos Research, while a poll by Innovative Research Group indicates a 38pc to 31pc lead for the Conservatives over the Liberals. Even with the Conservatives ahead, both indicate a much tighter race compared to earlier in the year.
The remarkable rebound for the Liberals comes after the promise Trudeau would no longer be the face of the party, and the perceived similarities between Trump and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Trump's aggressive actions and rhetoric towards Canada have stoked anti-American sentiment across the country and prompted the public to reexamine the trade relationship with its southern neighbour. A more recent poll by Ipsos shows only 1-in-10 Canadians want to strengthen their reliance on the US.
Carney was born in Northwest Territories and grew up in Alberta, but it remains to be seen if his western upbringing will help the Liberal Party's success in the region given their unpopularity with the oil patch. The last time Canada had a prime minister born in western Canada was Kim Campbell in 1993 who succeeded Brian Mulroney under similar circumstances when he stepped down from the top post.
