Canada’s Mark Carney Just Turned Trump’s Power Play Into a Global Rebellion

It’s rare for elections in Canada to carry significant global implications. But these are highly unusual times.

Last night, Canadians delivered a victory to Mark Carney and his Liberal Party. This comes just a few months after the Liberals seemed poised to lose in a landslide to the ascendant Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre. But what a difference an American election makes.

Trump’s threats to annex Canada as the 51st state — along with sweeping tariffs imposed on Canadian goods — shifted Canadian politics decisively in favor of Mark Carney, a mild-mannered banker with a decidedly internationalist credentials. Carney, for his part, made this election all about resisting Trump — and in the process, potentially showed the way forward for center and center-left parties in liberal democracies everywhere.

As Canadian journalist Justin Ling explains in this interview, Carney has the pedigree and wherewithal to build an anti-Trump coalition of like-minded democracies seeking to pivot away from their traditional economic and defense alliances with the United States. He could become a key player in a new era of geopolitics, brought on by the upending of American foreign policy. But can he make good on his ambition for Canada to assume a global leadership role in the face of American retreat and retrenchment?

Weary from covering Carney’s victory rally last night, Justin Ling — who runs the excellent Bug Eyed and Shameless newsletter — joins me to break down the global implications of Canada's election.

The full interview is available below the fold for paying subscribers. (And thank you to the several hundred of you who joined us live!)

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