Mark Carney, an Irish citizen, overwhelmingly won the Liberal Party of Canada's leadership contest yesterday, Sunday, March 9.
Having won the Liberal Party's leadership contest, Carney, 59, will succeed Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January, as the leader of the Liberal Party and thus Prime Minister of Canada.
Carney, who was born and raised in Canada, holds citizenship in Canada, Ireland, and the UK, but said this month that he has begun the process of renouncing his Irish and British citizenship.
Carney comes from "a staunchly Irish-Canadian background (three of his grandparents hailed from Mayo)," the Irish Independent reported in 2018, adding that he "counts the late Irish attorney general and WTO director general Peter Sutherland as an important early mentor."
In a 2021 profile, the Irish Times reported that Carney is "acutely conscious of his Irish roots."
The Irish Times noted: "The only change he made to the grandiose office granted to the boss of the Bank of England was to put an old map of Mayo on the wall."
Carney obtained Irish citizenship in the late 1980s, a process that revealed a great grandparent that could “only put his mark on baptismal documents.”
“That Irish heritage is a big part of who I am,” Carney told The Irish Times.
However, CBC News in Canada reported on March 1 that Carney told reporters he believes that, as Prime Minister, he should hold only one citizenship.
"I have already initiated the process to renounce my citizenships in both the United Kingdom and Ireland," he said.
Carney told reporters there are "several members of the House of Commons who have several passports," and there have been leaders of other federal political parties, like the Conservatives, who hold multiple citizenship.
"I'm not judging those other people," Carney said. "I'm saying as Prime Minister, I should only hold one citizenship."
On Sunday, Carney won the Liberal Party of Canada's leadership vote in a landslide, winning nearly 86% of the 151,899 votes, easily beating the three contestants Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould, and Frank Baylis.
Carney's career was in finance before he pivoted to Canadian public service. He served as the Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 through 2013 and Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 through 2020. In 2020, Carney began serving as the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance.
In his victory speech on Sunday night, Carney paid significant attention to Donald Trump, labeling the US President's tariffs on Canada as "unjustified."
"There’s someone who’s trying to weaken our economy: Donald Trump," Carney said.
"He’s attacking Canadian families, workers, and businesses, and we cannot let him succeed, and we won’t," he continued.
"I am proud. I am proud of the response of Canadians who are making their voices heard and their wallets felt. I am grateful for how our provinces are stepping up to the fight. Because when we are united, we are Canada strong.
"America is not Canada, and Canada never, ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form.
"Look, we didn’t ask for this fight. We didn’t ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves. So the Americans, they should make no mistake in trade, as in hockey, Canada will win."
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