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Who is Mark Carney? Crisis-fighting central banker to lead Canada through US trade war

Former central banker Mark Carney has won the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister

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Liberal Party of Canada Leader Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP
Mark Carney, soon to become Canada’s new prime minister, is a two-time central banker and crisis fighter about to face his biggest challenge of all: steering Canada through Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The Liberals announced Carney as Justin Trudeau’s successor on Sunday after party members voted in a nominating contest. Trudeau resigned in January, facing low approval ratings after nearly a decade in office.
The 59-year-old Carney is a political outsider who has never held office, which would in normal times have killed his candidacy in Canada. But distance from Trudeau and a high-profile banking career played to his advantage, and Carney argues he is the only person prepared to handle Trump.

“I know how to manage crises … in a situation like this, you need experience in terms of crisis management, you need negotiating skills,” Carney said during a leadership debate late last month.

Mark Carney and his daughter Cleo Carney. Photo: Reuters
Mark Carney and his daughter Cleo Carney. Photo: Reuters

Carney was born in Fort Smith in the remote Northwest Territories. He attended Harvard University where he played college-level ice hockey, starring as a goalkeeper.

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