Mark Carney selected next Canadian prime minister

What happened

Canada's Liberal Party Sunday chose Mark Carney, a former central bank chief in Canada and the U.K., as its party leader and the nation's 24th prime minister. Carney, a political novice, won 85.9% of the vote from party members, beating former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and two other candidates to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Who said what

In choosing Carney, the Liberals tapped an "unelected technocrat" who "steered the Bank of Canada through the 2008 global financial crisis and the Bank of England through Brexit," The New York Times said. His "first and most pressing challenge will be to manage the threat" President Donald Trump poses to Canada's "economy and sovereignty."

Trump's "trade war and his talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state have infuriated Canadians" and the resulting "surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered the Liberal Party's chances in a parliamentary election expected within days or weeks," The Associated Press said. The election "suddenly seems winnable," just weeks after the opposition Conservative Party "seemed on the cusp of a landslide," The Wall Street Journal said. After trailing the Conservatives and their populist leader Pierre Poilievre by more than 20 percentage points in January, the Liberals are now nearly tied in recent polls.

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"This is a nation-defining moment," Trudeau said at the Liberal leadership conference. "Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given." Trump is "attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses," and while "we didn't ask for this fight," it is a challenge Canadians accept, Carney said in his acceptance speech. And "in trade, as in hockey, Canada will win." He said his government will keep retaliatory tariffs on U.S goods "until the Americans show us respect," and regardless of Trump's plans, "Canada will never, ever will be a part of America in any way, shape or form."

What next?

Carney, 59, will be sworn in as prime minister this week and is expected to face voters soon, either by calling a snap election or losing a vote of confidence in Parliament, where he is not a member. He "could legally serve as prime minister without a seat," Reuters said, "but tradition dictates that he should seek to win one as soon as possible."