Mark Carney dominated the race to replace Justin Trudeau. Now what?
Once Carney is settled into his new role, Governor General must swear him in
In something of a political blowout, Mark Carney was elected on Sunday as leader of the Liberal Party and as the next prime minister.
He won with 85.9 per cent of the votes, a larger margin than many expected — even though he was the clear front-runner throughout the race.
His win was bigger than what outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had after his own leadership race in 2013 — even though he had less than half the amount of time to campaign.
It means Carney has a strong mandate heading into political office — even though it's the first he's ever held.
Here's what comes next for Carney, the Liberals and Canadian politics in general.
Is Carney the prime minister now?
No. He has to be sworn in first by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.
Until then, Carney is the prime minister-designate. A date hasn't been set for him to take office.
So, Trudeau is still prime minister?
Yes. Trudeau has said he'll stay in the job for a few days or weeks to help with the transition. Once Carney is sworn in, Trudeau will officially resign.
Calls to determine who will work in Carney's Prime Minister's Office have already been happening, sources have told CBC News.
Does this mean we're having a federal election?
It certainly looks like we're heading that way. When exactly an election might happen, though, is less clear.
Carney is not currently an elected MP and doesn't have a seat in the House of Commons.
That has raised speculation — and hints from Carney himself — that an election will be called soon, even before Parliament is scheduled to return on March 24.
Before he can make that call, Carney will have to appoint a cabinet. Whether he keeps Trudeau's current cabinet largely intact or chooses his own temporary team will be closely watched.
What about Trump's tariff threats?
In his victory speech, Carney vowed to continue to stand up against U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff threats against Canadian goods entering the United States, which Carney said were "attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses."
"My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect — and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade," he said.
What about leadership candidates who didn't win?
Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland came in a distant second on Sunday. On her way out of Rogers Centre in Ottawa, she told reporters in French that she will run in the next federal election.
As for whether she'll have a role in a Carney government, Freeland said it's up to the leader to choose who he wants at his side.
New party leaders often make a point of including the second-place finisher in their government as a show of party unity. But Freeland got just eight per cent of the vote on the first ballot, so it's unclear what that means for her future.
Karina Gould, who left her role as Liberal House leader to take a run at the party's top job, said she plans to run again in the next federal election. She placed third on Sunday with 3.2 per cent of the vote.
Frank Baylis, a Montreal businessman and former MP, placed fourth in the race with just three per cent of the vote. He told CBC News he'd be "very happy to support Mr. Carney in whatever way" the leader thinks best.
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With files from Benjamin Lopez Steven and Michael Woods