BBC News
In his first news conference since the federal election, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney laid out his priorities, including how he will approach upcoming talks with US President Donald Trump.
His election campaign focused on standing up to Trump’s tariff plans and threats to make Canada the 51st US state, which Carney has said will “never ever” happen.
The Liberals won 168 seats out of 343 in Canada’s House of Commons in Monday’s election, enough to form a minority government but falling short of the 172 necessary for a majority.
Carney’s new cabinet will be sworn in the week of 12 May.
Here is some of what we learned from Carney’s Friday news conference:
A strategic visit by the King
Off the top, Carney announced an upcoming visit from King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who will visit Canada later this month.
“This is a historic honour that matches the weight of our times,” he told reporters gathered in Ottawa.
Carney says he had invited the King to formally open Canada’s 45th Parliament on 27 May.
That request is certainly strategic.
Carney said the King’s visit “clearly underscores the sovereignty of our country” – a nod to Trump’s 51st state remarks.
Trump also has a well-known admiration for the Royal family. In February, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer used his trip to the White House to present Trump with the invitation letter from King Charles.
The King is Canada’s head of state and is represented in Canada by Governor General Mary Simon.
After an election, the new parliamentary session is usually opened by the governor general, who reads the Speech from the Throne on behalf of the prime minister. The speech, read in Canada’s Senate, sets out the government’s agenda.
While it is not unprecedented for the Throne speech to be read by the head of state, the last time this happened was in October 1977 when Queen Elizabeth II read the speech for the second time. The first was in 1957.
A showdown with Trump
Carney will visit the White House on Tuesday, barely a week after the federal election.
His first official visit to the White House as prime minister comes amid frayed ties between the close allies in the wake of Trump’s threatened and imposed tariffs, as well as the president’s repeated comments about making Canada the 51st US state.
Carney said there are two sets of issues to discuss: the immediate tariffs and the broader relationship.
“My government will fight to get the best deal for Canada,” Carney said, making it clear there would be no rush to secure an agreement.
He added that the high-level dialogue indicates seriousness of the conversation between the leaders.
He said he expects “difficult but constructive” discussions with the president.
He also said he would strengthen relationship with “reliable” trading partners, pointing to recent conversations he has had with world leaders in Europe and Asia.
An olive branch offered to rivals
Canada’s election highlighted divisions within Canada, along regional, demographic and political lines.
On Friday, Carney said Canada must be united in this “once in a lifetime crisis”.
“It’s time come together put on our Team Canada sweaters and win big,” he said.
He offered olive branches both to Canadians who did not vote for his Liberal Party and to his political rivals.
While Canadians voted for a robust response to Trump, they also sent “a clear message that their cost of living must come down and their communities need to be safe”, Carney said.
“As prime minister I’ve heard these messages loud and clear and I will act on them with focus and determination.”
He said he is committed to working with others, including those across the aisle.
Under leader Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative campaign focused heavily on cost of living issues and crime.
The Conservatives came in second, forming Official Opposition but Poilievre lost his own Ottawa-area seat.
Carney said he is open to calling a special election that would allow Poilievre to seek another seat if that is the path the Conservatives wanted to take.
“No games,” he said.