Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney running to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s PM | World News

Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney has announced he is running to replace Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party and prime minister of Canada.

Mr Carney, who was not part of the Trudeau government, has positioned himself as someone who will run as an outsider with considerable financial experience.

The 59-year-old was the governor of the Bank of Canada between 2008 and 2013, before serving as governor of the Bank of England between 2013 and 2020.

Mr Trudeau, who has been prime minister since 2015, resigned this month after facing calls to quit from his own MPs amid poor showings in opinion polls ahead of this year’s election.

Mr Carney’s main rival in the Liberal Party leadership race looks to be former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, whose resignation last month over policy differences led to Mr Trudeau’s decision to quit.

Announcing himself as a candidate in the west Canadian city of Edmonton, Mr Carney said: “Our times are anything but ordinary.

“The system is not working as it should and it’s not working as it could.”

He added: “I am going to be completely focused on getting our economy back on track.

“I’ve helped manage multiple crises, and I’ve helped save two economies. I know how business works, and I know how to make it work for you.”

Although he has not been part of Mr Trudeau’s government – which is trailing heavily in the polls to the Conservative party – he does have close ties to the Canadian prime minister.

Last September, he named him as chair of a task force on economic growth.

Mr Carney said in an interview with US comedian and political commentator Jon Stewart this week that the Canadian government has not been as focused as it should be on housing and the cost of living.

Mr Trudeau, 53, will remain prime minister until his replacement is named on 9 March.

However, the new prime minister is unlikely to be in office for long.

The minority government could be toppled in parliament as soon as the end of March, triggering an election that polls indicate the official opposition Conservatives will win.

Read more from Sky News:
MP admits punching man
Hollyoaks star dead at 46
Boy murdered girl in row over teddy bear

The Conservatives have said there is little difference between Mr Trudeau and Mr Carney.

“As a long-time Liberal insider, advisor at least as early as 2020… Carney is the furthest thing possible from an outsider,” the Conservatives said in a statement on Thursday.

Mr Carney worked for Goldman Sachs before joining the Canadian finance ministry in 2004.

After leaving the Bank of England in 2020, he was appointed United Nations special envoy for climate action and finance.

He is currently chair of Brookfield Asset Management.