Mark Carney: 'Canada never, ever, will be part of America'

Canada’s incoming prime minister, Mark Carney, is pledging to continue Justin Trudeau's legacy of standing up to President Trump and rejecting threats to make the nation part of the U.S.

“The Americans want our resources, our water, our land, our country. Think about it: If they, if they succeeded, they would destroy our way of life,” Carney told a crowd of Liberal Party of Canada supporters on Sunday night.

“And Canada never, ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form,” he added.

Carney won his leadership contest in a landslide election on Sunday, winning 85.9 percent of the vote.

In his speech to his party supporters, the former central banker defended the retaliatory tariffs that Trudeau, the outgoing Canadian leader, has imposed on the U.S. Carney said he plans to keep the retaliatory tariffs in place until Canada is shown “respect.”

“The Canadian government has rightly retaliated and is rightly retaliating with our own tariffs that will have maximum impact in the United States and minimum impact here in Canada,” Carney said. “My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect.”

“We didn't ask for this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves. So the Americans, they should make no mistake: In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win,” he added.

Carney might not be prime minister for long. He will square off in a federal election against the Conservative Party of Canada's Pierre Poilievre, who, until recently, was leading in the polls. In the latest poll, the two parties are about tied.

“Donald Trump thinks — thinks — he can weaken us with his plan to divide and conquer. Pierre Poilievre’s plan will leave us divided and ready to be conquered,” Carney said, “because a person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him.”