OTTAWA — King Charles congratulated Prime Minister Mark Carney on his election victory on Tuesday, the most prominent international call the Canadian leader took after the Liberals won a minority government mandate. Also the one that was never trumpeted.
Buckingham Palace quietly posted in a court circular that they had a telephone “audience” where the king spoke from Balmoral Castle the day after election day.
It provided no other summary of their discussion at a time when Canada’s sovereignty is constantly challenged in public comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, including when he reiterated Canada should become a “cherished 51st state” on election day as polls opened.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not issue a summary or “readout” of the call with the king, saying it is protocol to respect the privacy of discussions with the sovereign.
Carney is scheduled to finally speak to Canadian reporters at a post-election news conference at 11 a.m. Friday, four days after his election victory was declared.
The prime minister spent a third day holed up in meetings Thursday at his office in Ottawa, sorting through decisions on key staff and diplomatic positions, and meeting with advisers and public servants ahead of planned talks with Trump on what Carney has called a new comprehensive economic and security partnership.
Several names are in the mix for the job of Carney’s chief of staff, including former public safety minister Marco Mendicino, who has been in the position since Carney became prime minister upon winning the Liberal leadership; David Lametti, a former justice minister ousted from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet but a longtime friend of Carney’s; Scott Gilmore, a writer and former conservative who tried to start a progressive conservative alternative to the Conservative Party of Canada and now is Carney’s foreign policy adviser; and Scott Brison, a former Liberal minister and BMO executive who took unpaid leave from the bank to help Carney on his campaign. Janice Charette, a former privy council clerk to two prime ministers, came out of retirement to lead Carney’s transition but it is not clear if she would remain in Carney’s office.
Among others whose names have been floated for big jobs are High Commissioner to Britain Ralph Goodale, a former Liberal finance minister; and Jean Charest, a former Quebec premier who worked closely with Carney before and during the financial crisis of 2008, when Carney was governor of the Bank of Canada.
Goodale adopted a very political tone in a British podcast on Thursday, saying the Carney government will quickly need to show “very clear signs of progress on the economic front and in the negotiations with Mr. Trump, demonstrating to the world that Canada is an energy superpower” both in conventional and green energy. He said Canada’s countermeasures also need to be “fair” in their impact on all parts of the country, including the west, and the prime minister will have to keep Canadians united to be effective in the country’s overall response to the U.S., as it also seeks to diversify trade.
Challenged on whether Canada and Britain can sort out their differences over beef and cheese exports — the final sticking points in the free trade agreement that they struck post-Brexit, Goodale said it is a British problem to solve, because when Britain exited the European Union, it did not negotiate continued access to its tariff-free quotas for access to Canadian markets. “When you left Europe you left your cheese quota in Brussels,” said Goodale. “Now if you’ve got a problem with the cheese quota, go to Brussels and get it.
“This is not a supply management problem in Canada, this is a Brexit screw-up in the U.K.,” Goodale said.
Canada’s dairy tariffs are a sore point with the U.S. too, and will be a big point of contention in any talks with the Trump administration.
Trump’s U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Fox News the administration sees Carney as a “serious person” different from his predecessor Justin Trudeau, and they expect a different experience dealing with him.
Trump predicted Wednesday that Carney and he would have “a good relationship,” saying he expected Carney to meet with him in the U.S. within a week “or less.”
The PMO said the trip has not been scheduled yet.
Carney spoke Thursday with UN Secretary General António Guterres, and a readout of their call said Carney discussed Canada’s “continued support of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The leaders also discussed a wide range of issues, including UN reform, climate finance, the security and humanitarian crises in Haiti, and the war in Ukraine.”
Several world leaders issued congratulations on social media or on their websites this week, including the Dalai Lama, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, among others.
Results reported by Elections Canada showed 19.5 million Canadians voted and delivered 168 ridings into the hands of the Liberals, with the Conservatives winning 144 seats. The Bloc Québécois got 23, the NDP won seven, and the Green Party one. However judicial recounts are on where the results were very close, and it is possible for the final numbers to change.
Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request.
There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again.
You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply.
Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
