Canada’s new PM: Not Trump’s 51st state!

Shafaq News/ Canada would never become the 51st US state, Mark Carney, Canada’s incoming Prime Minister, confirmed on Monday, rejecting comments made by US President Donald Trump about annexing Canada.

“There’s someone who’s trying to weaken our economy,” Carney said in a speech following his victory in the Liberal Party leadership race. “Donald Trump, as we know, has put unjustified tariffs on what we build and on what we sell… We cannot let him succeed, and we won’t.”

Carney, 59, a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, secured a commanding 85.9% of the votes in the leadership contest, succeeding Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January after nearly a decade in office and will remain in place until Carney is sworn in over the coming days.

Carney assumes leadership at a time of economic uncertainty and strained US-Canada relations. President Trump’s trade war with Canada and remarks about annexation have heightened tensions.

Carney’s victory speech directly addressed Trump’s trade policies, which have included tariffs targeting Canadian exports, warning that his government would maintain reciprocal tariffs on US imports “until Americans show us respect.”

Carney is set to lead a minority government in parliament. He can either call an early general election or risk being forced into one by opposition parties through a vote of no confidence later this month.