Mark Carney is sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister as country deals with Trump’s trade war

Mark Carney is sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister as country deals with Trump’s trade war
Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Mark Carney is applauded by members of his government during his swearing-in ceremony as Canada's next prime minister at an event in Ottawa, Ontario, on March 14, 2025. (REUTERS)
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Updated 15 March 2025
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Mark Carney is sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister as country deals with Trump’s trade war

Mark Carney is sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister as country deals with Trump’s trade war
  • The former central bank chief replaced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January
  • Carney has said he’s ready to meet with Trump if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty

TORONTO: Former central banker Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister on Friday, and will now try to steer his country through a trade war brought by US President Donald Trump, annexation threats and an expected federal election.
Carney, 59, replaces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader. Carney is widely expected to trigger a general election in the coming days or weeks.
“We will never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States. America is not Canada,” Carney said. “We are very fundamentally a different country.”
The governing Liberal Party had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared economic war and repeatedly has said Canada should become the 51st state. Now the party and its new leader could come out on top.
Carney has said he’s ready to meet with Trump if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty. He said he doesn’t plan to visit Washington at the moment but hopes to have a phone call with the president soon.
“The president is a successful businessman and deal maker. We’re his largest client in so many industries,” Carney said. “Clients expect respect and working together in a proper commercial way.”

Carney navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis, and then in 2013 when he became the first noncitizen to run the Bank of England — helping to manage the worst impacts of Brexit in the UK
Carney, a former Goldman Sachs executive with no experience in politics, becomes Canada’s 24th prime minister. He said protecting Canadian workers and their families in the face of unjustified trade actions and growing the economy will be his top priorities.
Carney said he will travel to Europe to visit French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the coming days. He received invitations from both.
“We must diversify our trade partners and strengthen our security in so doing,” Carney said.
Trump put 25 percent tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products April 2. He has threatened economic coercion in his annexation threats and suggested the border is a fictional line.
Carney called the idea “crazy.”
The US trade war and Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st US state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games. Some are canceling trips south of the border, and many are avoiding buying American goods when they can.
Carney said he’s worked with Trump before at G7 and G20 summits during Trump’s first presidency.
“We share some experiences. I have been in the private sector. I have worked in the real estate sector. I have done large transactions,” Carney said. “We will both be looking out for our countries but he knows, and I know from long experience, that we can find mutual solutions that win for both.”
The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surge.




Governor General of Canada Mary Simon, Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney, and members of his government pose for a family photo following a swearing-in ceremony of the new Canada's government in Ottawa, Ontario, on March 14, 2025. (REUTERS)

But after decades of bilateral stability, the vote on Canada’s next leader now is expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with the US
“He will do very well. He’s respected internationally,” former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien told reporters Friday. But, he added: “There is no magic solution. This is not a normal situation. We’ve never seen someone who changes his mind every five minutes as president of the United States.”
A new Cabinet of 13 men and 11 women was sworn in, smaller than Trudeau’s 37-member team. François-Philippe Champagne becomes Canada’s new finance minister, the government’s second most powerful position. Champagne has said a new prime minister offers a chance of a reset with Trump.
Dominic LeBlanc goes from finance to to intergovernmental affairs. Mélanie Joly remains foreign minister. Chrystia Freeland, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister who lost to Carney in the Liberal Party leadership race, becomes minister of transport and internal trade.
Carney met his Cabinet and eliminated a consumer carbon price on his first day, undoing Trudeau’s signature climate policy. He called his government “Canada’s new government” in an effort to distance himself from Trudeau.
Carney also took aim at opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, a career politician who Carney said is always negative.
“Negativity won’t pay the rent or the mortgage. Negativity won’t bring down the price of groceries. Negativity won’t win a trade war,” he said.
Poilievre urged Canadians not to give the Liberals a fourth mandate, saying it’s the same Liberal government and that Carney is “just like Justin.”


Trump administration deports Venezuelans despite court order, says judge has no authority

Trump administration deports Venezuelans despite court order, says judge has no authority
Updated 17 sec ago
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Trump administration deports Venezuelans despite court order, says judge has no authority

Trump administration deports Venezuelans despite court order, says judge has no authority
  • ‘A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft ... full of foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from US soil’
  • The 238 men – alleged members of the Venezuelan gang – were being transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center
The Trump administration has deported alleged members of a Venezuelan gang from the US despite a court order forbidding it from doing so, saying in an extraordinary statement that a judge did not have the authority to block its actions.
The deportation operation followed a move by Judge James Boasberg to block President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act’s wartime powers to rapidly deport more than 200 alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has been linked to kidnapping, extortion and contract killings.
“A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft ... full of foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from US soil,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
She said the court had “no lawful basis” and that federal courts generally have no jurisdiction over how a president conducts foreign affairs.
Patrick Eddington, a homeland security and civil liberties legal expert at the libertarian Cato Institute, said that, whatever it might say, the White House was in “open defiance” of the judge.
“This is beyond the pale and certainly unprecedented,” Eddington said, calling it the most radical test of the US Constitution’s system of checks and balances and the independence of the judicial branch of government since the Civil War.
When asked whether his administration had violated the court order, Trump deferred to the lawyers.
“I can tell you this: these were bad people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, referring to the alleged gang members.
‘Commensurate to war’
In a Saturday evening hearing, Boasberg blocked the use of the law for 14 days, saying the statute refers to “hostile acts” perpetrated by another country that are “commensurate to war.”
Trump said he was justified in using the Act because he saw the increase in immigration in recent years as similar to war.
“This is war. In many respects it’s more dangerous than war because, you know, in a war they have uniforms. You know who you’re shooting at, you know who you’re going after.”
Boasberg said during the hearing that any flights carrying migrants processed under the law should return to the US His written notice hit the case docket at 7:25 p.m. ET (23:25 GMT).
The following day, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele posted footage to the social media site X showing men being hustled off a plane in the dark of night amid a massive security presence.
“Oopsie... Too late,” Bukele posted above a headline, “Fed judge orders deportation flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gangbangers to return to the US.”
Bukele followed the comment by a laughing-so-hard-I’m-crying emoji. His statement was reposted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also thanked Bukele for his “assistance and friendship.”
In her statement, Leavitt said that “the written order and the Administration’s actions do not conflict” and that courts have “generally have no jurisdiction” over the president’s “powers to remove foreign alien terrorists from US soil and repel a declared invasion.”
Although the Trump administration has variously described the Venezuelans as gang members, “monsters,” or “alien terrorists,” Reuters has not been able to independently verify if the men are gang members or have criminal records.
The US Department of Homeland Security and the Salvadoran government did not respond to requests for comment. The State Department declined to comment.
El Salvadorean prison
Reuters could not confirm the full breadth of the deportation operations or the precise timing of Bukele’s video.
One of the planes visible in the footage he circulated featured a Global Crossing Airlines aircraft bearing the tail number N837VA, which had taken off on Saturday from an airfield in Texas previously used to deport Venezuelan migrants, according to data maintained by the website FlightRadar24.
FlightRadar24 data shows the plane took off in the afternoon from Harlingen Airport before landing in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, late on Saturday night.
Miami-based Global Crossing, which has been used by US immigration authorities to deport migrants across Latin America, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
In a court filing on Sunday, the Trump administration said that “some” of the Venezuelans had already been removed from the United States prior to the judge’s order, but did not provide any further detail.
It was not clear how many people that represented or whether the Trump administration was conceding that others were removed after the judge’s order.
The 238 men – alleged members of the Venezuelan gang – were being transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center – a mega-prison that can hold up to 40,000 inmates – for a one-year period that could be renewed, Bukele said.

US meat exports at risk as China lets registrations lapse

US meat exports at risk as China lets registrations lapse
Updated 12 min 47 sec ago
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US meat exports at risk as China lets registrations lapse

US meat exports at risk as China lets registrations lapse
  • Expiration of roughly two-thirds of the total registered facilities could restrict US market access
  • In 2024, the US was China’s third-largest meat supplier by volume, trailing Brazil and Argentina

BEIJING: Export registrations for more than 1,000 US meat plants granted by China under the 2020 “Phase 1” trade deal lapsed on Sunday, China’s customs website showed, threatening US exports to the world’s largest buyer amid an ongoing tariff standoff.
The registration status for pork, beef and poultry plants across the US, including major producers Tyson Foods, Smithfield Packaged Meats and Cargill Meat Solutions was changed from “effective” to “expired,” according to the website of China’s General Administration of Customs.
The expiration of roughly two-thirds of the total registered facilities could restrict US market access and incur significant losses to a roughly $5 billion trade, a fresh affront to American farmers after Beijing earlier this month imposed retaliatory tariffs on some $21 billion worth of American farm goods.
Beijing requires food exporters to register with customs to sell in China.
The US Department of Agriculture has said China did not respond to repeated requests to renew plant registrations, potentially violating the Phase 1 trade agreement.
Under the Phase 1 trade deal, China is obligated to update its approved plant list within 20 days of receiving updates from the USDA.
Registrations for some 84 US plants lapsed in February and while shipments from these affected plants continue to clear customs, the industry doesn’t know for how long China will allow imports.
China’s customs department did not immediately respond to faxed questions.
In 2024, the US was China’s third-largest meat supplier by volume, trailing Brazil and Argentina, accounting for 590,000 tonnes or nine percent of China’s total meat imports.


South Korea’s opposition says delay of Yoon impeachment ruling is irresponsible

South Korea’s opposition says delay of Yoon impeachment ruling is irresponsible
Updated 21 min 39 sec ago
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South Korea’s opposition says delay of Yoon impeachment ruling is irresponsible

South Korea’s opposition says delay of Yoon impeachment ruling is irresponsible
  • The eight-member Constitutional Court continued deliberations well into the third week
  • Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the Democratic Party-controlled parliament in December

SEOUL: South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party on Monday urged the country’s Constitutional Court to swiftly rule on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, saying keeping the country waiting is “irresponsible” and deepening social division.
As the eight-member court continued deliberations well into the third week, political tensions have surged between those who demand Yoon’s ouster for declaring a short-lived martial law in December and supporters who want him reinstated.
The court had wrapped up arguments on February 25, where Yoon said his martial law declaration was needed to root out “anti-state” elements but he never intended to fully impose emergency military rule.
“The country and the people have come to the breaking point,” a Democratic Party leadership member Kim Min-seok said. “We wait for the court’s responsible decision. Further delay is not normal and irresponsible,” he told a party meeting.
In 2017, former president Park Geun-hye was removed from office 11 days after the final arguments in the Constitutional Court in her impeachment trial.
South Koreans have gathered in huge numbers in the capital Seoul supporting and backing the conservative leader’s removal, saying the delay has been frustrating and made confusion worse.
Yoon was impeached by the Democratic Party-controlled parliament in December for violating his constitutional duty. He committed acts that are a grave threat to rule of law and more than disqualify him from office, the impeachment motion said.
Yoon is on a separate criminal trial on charges of leading insurrection, which is punishable by death or life in prison.
The fallout of Yoon’s martial law declaration has widened the rifts between the conservatives and liberals and those in the public, adding stress on institutions and putting much of the government policy making in limbo.
Some of the country’s top military commanders have been taken off duty and face criminal trials for their roles in the martial law decree. Arguments in the trial of former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun on insurrection charges begin on Monday.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was briefly acting president after Yoon was impeached and suspended from power on December 14, has also been impeached and the country is now led by the Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok.


Trump says he will be speaking with Russia’s Putin on Tuesday

US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (File/AFP)
US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (File/AFP)
Updated 29 min 50 sec ago
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Trump says he will be speaking with Russia’s Putin on Tuesday

US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (File/AFP)
  • Trump is trying to win Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal
  • Russia moves closer to ejecting Ukrainian forces from Kursk

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump said he plans to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

“I’ll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work’s been done over the weekend,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One during a late flight back to the Washington area from Florida.

“We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance,” Trump said.

Trump is trying to win Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week, as both sides continued trading heavy aerial strikes through the weekend and Russia moved closer to ejecting Ukrainian forces from their months-old foothold in the western Russian region of Kursk.

“We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants,” Trump said, when asked about concessions. “I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We are already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”


French-British blueprint doesn’t foresee deploying a ‘mass’ of soldiers in Ukraine: Macron

French-British blueprint doesn’t foresee deploying a ‘mass’ of soldiers in Ukraine: Macron
Updated 17 March 2025
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French-British blueprint doesn’t foresee deploying a ‘mass’ of soldiers in Ukraine: Macron

French-British blueprint doesn’t foresee deploying a ‘mass’ of soldiers in Ukraine: Macron
  • The plan instead envisages stationing troop contingents in key locations, the French leader told local media
  • Their missions could include providing training and supporting Ukrainian defenses, he explained

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has fleshed out some possible missions that could be undertaken by a military support force for Ukraine that Paris and London are working to put together with other nations, in a so-called “coalition of the willing” that could deploy after any ceasefire with Russia.
Speaking to French media ahead of an online summit that the UK hosted on Saturday, Macron said the French-British blueprint doesn’t aim to deploy a “mass” of soldiers in Ukraine and instead envisages stationing troop contingents in key locations.
Macron’s office said Sunday that it couldn’t provide a recording of the French leader’s exchange with reporters from regional French newspapers on Friday night.
But according to La Dépêche du Midi and Le Parisien, the French president spoke of participating nations each deploying several thousand troops to “key points” in Ukraine. Their missions could include providing training and supporting Ukrainian defenses, to demonstrate long-term support for Kyiv, the reports quoted Macron as saying.
Macron added that the proposed contingents from countries that are members of the NATO alliance would serve as “a guarantee of security” for Ukraine and that “several European nations, and also non-European, have expressed their willingness to join such an effort when it is confirmed,” La Dépêche reported.
Le Parisien cited Macron as saying that Moscow’s agreement wasn’t needed for such deployment. “Ukraine is sovereign. If it asks for Allied forces to be on its territory, it’s not up to Russia to accept or not,” he said.
Following Saturday’s two-hour virtual meeting, Starmer challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign up to a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine if he is serious about peace, and said allies will keep increasing the pressure on the Kremlin, including by moving planning for a peacekeeping force to an “operational phase.”
Around 30 leaders were involved in the call, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as officials from NATO and the European Union.
It was the second such meeting in two weeks, meant to help Ukraine face a change of approach by the US following the return of President Donald Trump, as well as gauging support for any future possible peacekeeping mission. Many more countries were involved this time than the previous meeting on March 2.
According to Starmer, military planners will convene again in the UK on Thursday to progress practical plans to support Ukraine’s future security.