(AFP) – Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet will be sworn in on Tuesday, launching his first full term in office after winning an election defined by threats from President Donald Trump. Governor General Mary Simon, King Charles III’s representative in Canada, will swear in the new government at a ceremony in Ottawa, her office announced Friday. Carney and his team will then have two weeks to prepare for a new session of parliament, which will be opened by King Charles.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa last week, days after his Liberal Party’s election win, Carney committed to forming “an efficient cabinet, a focused cabinet, a cabinet with gender parity.” Carney’s Liberals fell just short of the 172 seats needed for majority control of Parliament, but with 169 confirmed wins they will be in a strong position to pass legislation. The former central banker and political novice said he would seek to work with other parties to advance his agenda but rejected formal alliances.
Canada’s strained relationship with the United States — historically, its close ally and biggest trading partner — was among his “immediate priorities,” he said. Trump’s trade war has included a range of tariffs on Canadian imports that are already causing pain in the Canadian labor market. Canada has imposed retaliatory tariffs on targeted US goods. Carney and Trump met in the Oval Office on Tuesday for initial talks on the future of bilateral trade. Both leaders said the talks produced progress, but no tariff relief has been announced.
Trump also renewed his talk of absorbing the US’s northern neighbor, telling Carney it would be a “wonderful marriage” if Canada agreed to become the 51st US state. Carney responded that Canada was “never for sale.” Carney’s initial cabinet that was sworn in on March 14 was staffed with those close to former prime minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau had become deeply unpopular toward the end of his decade in power and Carney distanced himself from the former premier throughout the campaign.
Political experts say Carney may bring some outsiders into his new cabinet to signal a break from the Trudeau era. But much of the current team may remain in place, including those directly negotiating with the Trump administration.
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