Elected Canadian PM Mark Carner Promises Fast Transition After Meeting Justin Trudeau

Mark Carney during a speech to his supporters. (Twitter/@MarkJCarney)

JAKARTA - Former banker Mark Carney, who won the election for the ruling Liberal Party and Canada's next prime minister, said he had met Justin Trudeau on Monday with the official handover of power coming soon.

Trudeau is still serving as prime minister until Carney officially takes over the role.

"The transition will run smoothly and quickly," Carney said after meeting Trudeau.

The Globe and Mail newspaper said Carney was likely to be appointed on Thursday or Friday.

Carney, who was asked about his relationship with United States President Donald Trump, refused to answer on the grounds that he was not yet prime minister.

liberal sources say Carney, who also meets with the Liberal parliamentary caus, will soon call for elections.

"We know this is a crucial time for our country. We are united to serve Canadians," he told reporters.

President Trump's move to impose tariffs on America's northern neighbors has sparked a strong reaction in Canada, where provinces pulled US alcohol from racks and urged people to buy Canadian products instead.

"Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country. If they succeed, they will destroy our way of life," Carney said in a speech on Sunday night.

Ontario, Canada's most populous province, said on Monday it would charge an additional 25 percent of electricity exports to the states of New York, Michigan and Minnesota as a form of protest.

"President Trump's tariff is a disaster for the US economy," said Ontario Premier ( governor-level) Doug Ford, adding he would not hesitate to stop exporting electricity if necessary.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly welcomed the move.

"If the prime minister and provinces use methods that support our position, (it's) good news, let's do more," he told reporters.

It is known that the US will impose a 25 percent tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum on Wednesday. Ottawa charged a 25 percent tariff on US imports worth 30 billion Canadian dollars when President Trump last month announced plans for an initial rate for Canada and Mexico.

Since then, he has suspended a month-long tariff on items included in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a free trade deal signed in 2018 by Trump, Trudeau, and former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

"My government will maintain our rates until Americans show respect for us," Carney said on Sunday.

The reformed Liberal government is likely to be short-lived. If Carney, who does not have a seat in Canadian parliament, does not hold elections, his political opponents say they will defeat the government on their first chance when parliament convenes again at the end of March.

Carney will fight the Conservative official opposition, which says there is absolutely no difference between Trudeau and the new prime minister, who has long been in the financial industry.

"Carney will betray Canada for his personal gain. He has done so systematically throughout his tenure as an insider of the company," Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters.

It is known that Carney won the Liberal Party leadership with 86 percent of the votes voted by party members. The governor general, representative of King Charles of the UK in Canada, will soon invite Carney to form a government.

On the other hand, the Conservative Party has led the poll for months, often double-digit ahead of the Liberal Party.

Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, will be the first to become Canadian prime minister without any prior experience in electoral politics.