Former governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney is now prime minister of Canada and has formed a leaner cabinet of 24 members, down from 37.
Carney was elected leader of the Liberal Party last Sunday in Ottawa and has since tried to distance himself from his predecessor Justin Trudeau who held office for over nine years.
The new prime minister will name familiar faces to his first cabinet that will only last a couple of days with an election looming.
“We are a very focused government, focused on action and we will work immediately,” Carney said at Rideau Hall. “Canada’s new government is focused on what matters to Canadians.”
He said his government would protect Canadian workers from President Trump’s tariffs and that he wanted to grow Canada’s economy by “putting more money in Canadians’ pockets”. Carney campaigned on “spend less and invest more” and wants to prioritize building more trade corridors with allies.
“The numbers in the cabinet are smaller because this is a moment of crisis… It is a smaller cabinet and all ministers are senior. They are all front line,” he said.
Eight former ministers, including Trudeau, have announced they will not be running in the upcoming federal election.
The new cabinet is meeting for the first time Friday afternoon. The Prime Minister will travel to London and Paris next week to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Carney has not yet spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Earlier Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed his president’s regular comments that Canada would benefit from becoming the 51st U.S. state. Rubio was in Charlevoix, Que., for a G7 foreign ministers meeting.
“It’s crazy,” Carney said at a press conference in response to Rubio’s remarks.
Carney also said with a smirk that Canadians would go to the polls “definitely before November.”
Former Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, officially resigned Friday morning during a private meeting with Governor General Mary Simon. He also recommended that she ask the new Liberal leader, Mark Carney, to form the new government.
Trudeau published a goodbye note to Canadians on social media.
“Thank you, Canada — for trusting in me, for challenging me, and for granting me the privilege to serve the best country, and the best people, on earth,” wrote Trudeau
