Ottawa [Canada], April 30: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney completed a comeback victory for the governing Liberals in Monday's election, positioning himself for a global role as a champion of multilateralism against U.S. President Donald Trump's more protectionist policies.
The first person to lead two G7 central banks has the experience to earn immediate international credibility, experts say. Carney's tough words for Trump during the campaign have been closely watched in other parts of the world.
"Canada is ready to take a leadership role in building a coalition of like-minded countries who share our values," Carney said on April 3 in Ottawa. "We believe in international cooperation. We believe in the free and open exchange of goods, services and ideas. And if the United States no longer wants to lead, Canada will."Carney's Liberals beat the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, whose slogan "Canada First" and sometimes acerbic style evoked comparisons with Trump that may have cost him the election. The Conservatives for months had held a wide lead in the polls that evaporated after Trump slapped tariffs on Canada and threatened to annex the country. Canadians are shunning U.S. goods and trips in response.
While Carney remains prime minister, his Liberals appeared to win only a minority of seats in the House of Commons, making the government more fragile and dependent on smaller parties to stay in power.
Australia holds an election on May 3, and the major parties have closely watched the polling surge towards Carney, Australian political strategists said. As in Canada, voter concern over the global fallout from Trump's policies has tilted support toward the center-left Labor Party.
Former Canadian diplomat Colin Robertson, who knew Carney when he worked at the Finance Ministry, said Carney is Canada's best-equipped prime minister since the 1960s, given his experience leading the Bank of England and Bank of Canada.
"He goes in extremely well-prepared, with a superb Rolodex, and people will take his call and look to him because their challenges are economic right now," he said.
Carney will likely start by expanding Canadian trade with Europe, Australia and Asian democracies such as Japan, Robertson said, blunting some of the economic damage from newly imposed U.S. tariffs on cars, steel and aluminum.
'DIFFICULT TIGHTROPE'
Fortifying Canada's economy is expected to be Carney's immediate priority, including by advancing infrastructure projects to make Canada less dependent on the United States, which buys 90% of Canada's oil exports.
Leading the smallest G7 nation, Carney will then need to muster his global coalition "without waving a giant red flag in front of Donald Trump," said Roland Paris, a former adviser to ex-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and now professor of international affairs at University of Ottawa.
"It will be a difficult tightrope or balancing act for him," Paris said. "He and Canada have an interest in coordinating with other like-minded countries, but without necessarily setting up Canada as the organizer of an opposition. Why turn Canada into that kind of target?"
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
