(Bloomberg) -- Mark Carney began laying the groundwork to take over quickly as Canada’s prime minister, with lawmakers and cabinet ministers holding key meetings Monday after Liberal Party members gave him a resounding mandate as their new leader.
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The handover of power from Justin Trudeau to Carney is likely to happen by the end of the week, aides to Trudeau said, speaking on condition they not be identified. The two men had a long meeting where they discussed the trade war with the US and national security, Carney said. The transition to a new administration “will be seamless and it will be quick,” he said.
Carney arrived at a gathering of the Liberal caucus around 1:30 p.m. Ottawa time to discuss next steps, and Trudeau’s cabinet was scheduled to meet after that. “We know this is a crucial time for our country. We’re united to serve Canadians and we will build this country,” he said.
Carney, 59, the former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, won a crushing victory in the Liberal Party leadership contest with more than 85% of the vote. He’ll announce a cabinet within days — and given the trade war with the US and the short timeline to the next election, he’s likely to keep some current ministers in place to ensure stability, according to people familiar with Carney’s thinking.
Carney hasn’t committed to a general election date, but has previously said he would seek a new mandate from Canadians quickly in order to deal with the ongoing tariff threats from US President Donald Trump. And he has momentum, with the Liberals narrowing the gap on the front-running Conservative Party in recent polls.
If he triggers an election shortly before Parliament returns on March 24, that would mean a voting date in late April or early May.
An election period would create some difficulty in managing a response to further Trump tariffs. Trump has promised a wider set of tariffs to take effect on April 2. During that time, Parliament would be dissolved and the government would be in what’s known as caretaker mode, where it’s supposed to avoid major decisions.
But the caretaker convention still allows the government to respond to emergencies, said Lori Turnbull, a Dalhousie University professor who’s an expert in parliamentary governance.