The selection of Canada’s next Prime Minister has evoked strong and fond memories at JMU Journalism, as Mark Carney is set to do battle with US President Donald Trump in a bitter trade war.
Mr Carney will take over from outgoing PM, Justin Trudeau, following a landslide vote by Canada’s Liberal Party to choose its new leader on Sunday. Almost 86% of more than 150,000 ballots were cast in his favour in a four-way contest.
He will assume office in a similar fashion that recently brought former UK Prime Ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to power in this country. Mr Carney will face a General Election on October 20th this year, or sooner if he decides to go to the polls before then.
The circumstances could scarcely be more formidable for the 59-year-old. Punishing trade tariffs on his North American neighbours have been announced by President Trump, who has even suggested that Canada should become the 51st state of the USA by annexation.
Mr Carney was the Governor of the Bank of England back in 2016 when he paid a visit to Liverpool, and he was generous with his time after agreeing to an interview with JMU Journalism students in the LJMU Redmonds Building TV studio.
He discussed his local family connections with cousins on Merseyside, revealing his football allegiance as he said: “I’ve been an Evertonian since the late 1980s when I first lived in the United Kingdom.
“I saw them in the 1989 FA Cup [final] against Liverpool [when Everton lost 3-2]. Ian Rush is forever burned in my brain and [those] two brilliant extra-time goals for Liverpool to win it.”
The then-trainee journalist who conducted our TV interview, Nathan Archer, has followed recent developments across the Atlantic closely, and reflected on his encounter as he recalled: “What I remember most about meeting Mark Carney at LJMU was that he was very, very charming.
“Everyone in the studio was all understandably very nervous before he arrived, as this was a big production for the team. But when he walked in, he put me at ease straight away. I was very impressed with how open he was to answer the big issues of the day with us.
“It was not long after the EU Brexit referendum, and he was clearly very focused on what that would mean for the UK economy. It was a real pleasure to meet him, and I will be watching with interest how he takes on his new role.”
YouTube: JMU Journalism (2016)
Nathan graduated from our course in 2017, when he also received an award for Outstanding Contribution to the Journalism Society.
The 29-year-old said: “Since graduating from LJMU, after a year in Wrexham, I’ve been working at BBC Wales in Cardiff. I’ve also got married, to the lovely Bryony, who I met in Liverpool, and we now have a two-year-old daughter, Victoria, and another baby on the way in July.
“I’m currently a producer on the BBC Radio Wales Breakfast programme, part of a team looking after two hours of live news broadcasting every morning.”
Mr Carney will become Canada’s new leader after a consultation period with Mr Trudeau and being formally sworn in by the country’s Governor General, Mary Simon, which is expected to happen later this month.
In his victory speech at the weekend, Mr Carney told the Liberal Party faithful and the nation: “Donald Trump, as we know, has put unjustified tariffs on what we build, on what we sell and how we make a living. He’s attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses and we cannot let him succeed and we won’t.
“America is not Canada… and Canada never, ever, will be part of America in any way, shape or form.”
Read the full story of Mark Carney’s visit to LJMU >>
YouTube: JMU Journalism (2016)