Mark Carney (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)MARK Carney has been voted in as the next prime minister of Canada. This concludes an election that was dominated by fears over their southern neighbour. Carney used his victory speech to directly call out the American president saying “Trump is trying to break us, so America can own us”.
Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric, threats of annexation, and erratic tariff policies led most Canadians to unite in opposition against him. This facilitated Carney’s remarkable turnaround of the Liberal Party, which had been facing poor polling since Justin Trudeau’s resignation three months earlier. By positioning himself as the anti-Trump candidate, Carney succeeded in galvanising support across Canada. Conversely, Pierre Poilievre, his opponent from the Conservative party, is now expected to lose his parliamentary seat.
Carney’s win marks the first time he will hold elected office. Born in Fort Smith, Canada in 1965, Carney is a distinguished economist who has held prominent positions in International global affairs. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard University and subsequently completed a master’s and doctorate in economics from Oxford University.
Carney’s career began in the private sector, where he worked for Goldman Sachs in their London, Toronto, New York and Tokyo offices. His economic expertise led to his appointment as Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. He ascended to the role of Governor in 2008, where he guided Canada’s economy through the global financial crisis.
In 2013, Carney became the Governor of the Bank of England, making him the first non-British citizen to hold this position. His time there was marked by significant regulatory reforms and a stable presence through the turbulent period following the Brexit referendum of 2016. Upon returning to Canada, Carney served as the United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance.
The new Prime Minister has a strong connection to Ireland. He has roots tracing back to Aughagower, Co. Mayo, where three of his grandparents were born before emigrating to Canada. He honoured his heritage by keeping a map of Co. Mayo in his office during his tenure as Governor of the Bank of England. Speaking at the time he said, “That Irish heritage is a big part of who I am”.
Carney also holds Irish citizenship – though perhaps not for much longer. He has said that as prime minister he believes he should be a citizen of Canada alone. It’s not known whether he has begun the process of renouncing both his British and Irish passports. The Irish Post has asked the Canadian Embassy in London for clarification.
Still ties remain: his brother lives in Northern Ireland, and Carney is expected to receive a formal invitation from the Irish government with plans to visit the small village of Aughagower. He still has family in the area with the son of his first cousin running a local quarry business. In 2021 he was appointed to the board of Stripe: founded by Limerick brothers John and Patrick Collison – who in 2016 became the world’s youngest self made billionaires.
His victory sets up a fascinating chapter in Canadian politics – one led by a man whose career has spanned the globe, but whose story, in part, began in the west of Ireland.