Tod MaffinCanadian Commentator, From Far and Wide · Emotional Support Canadian

Here’s why Mark Carney is not Prime Minister yet #canada #markcarney #liberalparty

10 Mar 2025 · 3 min

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2:34

The video explains why former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is not yet Prime Minister of Canada and outlines the procedural and political steps required for him to assume the role. First, Carney’s transition team will set up in Parliament and conduct high‑level briefings with senior civil servants, especially the Clerk of the Privy Council, to begin cabinet selection and election messaging. Next, a ceremonial approval from King Charles is required; the Governor General, as the King’s representative, will formally appoint Carney after a meeting with the outgoing Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who must resign and ask the Governor General to call on the Prime Minister‑designate. The Governor General will then invite Carney to form government, after which Carney will take the oath of office administered by the Clerk, officially becoming Prime Minister, and any new cabinet ministers will be sworn in simultaneously. The final hurdle is securing a seat in the House of Commons, since Carney is not an elected MP. This could be achieved through a by‑election in a safe Liberal riding or by calling a general election before the October deadline. The video notes that Liberal polling has surged under Carney’s leadership, potentially threatening Conservative expectations, and highlights Carney’s biggest political challenge: convincing Canadians he is more than a former banker.

Chapters

So Mark Carney is Prime Minister now? Not quite yet. Here's a look at what happens next. First, Carney's transition team takes up office in the Parliament buildings. Carney will do some high-level briefings with some senior civil servants, particularly the Clerk of the Privy Council. He'll work on cabinet selection, maybe even get a head start on messaging for the next election. At some point though, he needs to check in with the King. Although Canada isn't ruled by Britain, we're still part of the Commonwealth. That means getting the blessing of King Charles. This is mostly ceremonial, but it still has to happen. The King's representative in Canada is the Governor General, so Carney will go to Rideau Hall for the constitutionally required step of receiving a formal appointment by the Governor General. Now prior to this, a day or two earlier, an hour or two earlier, Justin Trudeau will also meet with the Governor General to formally resign and to ask her to call on the Prime Minister-designate to form government. It'll be a little bittersweet because even though ceremonially the Governor General is appointed by the King, They're really appointed by the Prime Minister. Okay, back to Carney. The Governor General will sit down with him and formally invite him to form government. It is a classic Canadian transition: polite, procedural, and requiring at least one awkward conversation with the King. Carney will accept, and he will take the oath of office administered by the Clerk of the Privy Council. At that point, he becomes Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the outgoing and incoming Prime Minister's teams will switch things around, like family photos, but Canadians don't really do makeovers like the Oval Office every 4 years. The Prime Minister's Office is actually pretty understated. If there are cabinet changes to be made, those people will also be sworn in at the same time. Carney will return to Parliament, probably take a few congratulatory calls from world leaders, and get to work on his next challenge: getting a seat in the House of Commons. Not only doesn't Carney have a seat because he's not an elected MP, as all Prime Ministers who want to sit in the House must be, he's the first Canadian Prime Minister to have never held elected office. So if history is any guide, some poor bastard who's an MP in a safe Liberal riding will get a tap on the shoulder, asked to resign, a by-election The most likely outcome will happen, Carney would win because it's a safe Liberal riding, and presto, now he has a seat. But it's also possible, perhaps more likely, that he will call a full election. By law, we have to have one by October, and with him at the helm of the Liberal Party, Liberals' standings in the poll have shot way up, so much so that the Conservatives, who everyone assumed would just cruise to a majority, might not win at all. Carney's next big challenge? Convincing Canadians he's more than just a banker in a prime minister suit.