Carney transition team met with PMO staff Tuesday, hope for PM swearing in by Friday

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 8:33 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is hoping to beryllium sworn successful arsenic Canada's 24th premier curate by the extremity of the week, but determination are immoderate logistical hurdles similar information clearances for elder members of his modulation squad that indispensable hap first.

Carney won a landslide triumph to instrumentality the helm of the Liberals from Justin Trudeau connected Sunday night, but helium isn't yet the premier minister.

He is already taking immoderate meetings to hole for that eventuality — gathering the Liberal caucus Monday and sitting down with Canada's U.S. ambassador Kirsten Hillman and Chief of Defence Staff Jennie Carignan today.

But his swearing successful ceremonial astatine Rideau Hall has not yet been scheduled, and Carney says helium won't instrumentality portion successful immoderate ceremonial discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump implicit tariffs until aft that ceremonial takes place.

Carney's spokespeople volition lone accidental that they anticipation that happens earlier the extremity of the week.

A elder adjutant successful Trudeau's bureau says determination are immoderate operational requirements of the modulation that are inactive conscionable getting started.

The source, who was not authorized to talk publically astir the interior authorities operations, told The Canadian Press Tuesday that Marco Mendicino, the Toronto MP and erstwhile furniture curate tapped by Carney to beryllium his modulation squad main of staff, met for an hr Tuesday day with existing unit successful Trudeau's office.

It was the archetypal treatment betwixt Carney's squad and Trudeau's bureau unit since Sunday's enactment convention.

There are much than 100 radical employed astatine the PMO, from elder governmental advisers to radical successful complaint of appointments, question and issues management.

PMO successful caretaker mode

Tuesday's gathering included Cyndi Jenkins, who was a main of unit to Health Minister Mark Holland and is present assisting Mendicino successful the transition.

The root said portion Trudeau and Carney are from the aforesaid party, the 2 teams are treating the changeover arsenic a full caller administration. That means for astatine slightest a period Trudeau's unit person been packing their offices, removing idiosyncratic effects similar photographs and archiving emails and documents arsenic required.

Now they are successful a wait-and-see mode, arsenic it is expected that Carney's incoming enactment volition support galore of the existing unit successful spot astatine slightest done the caretaker mode of an predetermination run since it would beryllium hard to regenerate them that quickly.

Obtaining due information clearances for the caller radical Carney is bringing successful volition instrumentality immoderate time, arsenic those clearances tin often instrumentality up to 2 weeks oregon longer.

Carney is wide expected to telephone an predetermination earlier Parliament resumes connected March 24 and cannot bash that until helium has been sworn in.

Carney is not officially joining tariff discussions but did measurement successful connected societal media Tuesday, blasting Trump aft the U.S. president moved to treble the tariffs connected alloy and aluminum acceptable to instrumentality effect Wednesday. Carney called the determination to summation them to 50 per cent — which Trump aboriginal reversed backmost to 25 per cent — "an onslaught connected Canadian workers, families and businesses."

"My authorities volition guarantee our effect has maximum interaction successful the U.S. and minimal interaction present successful Canada, portion supporting the workers impacted," helium said. "My authorities volition support our tariffs connected until the Americans amusement america respect and marque credible, reliable commitments to escaped and just trade."

During the regular White House property briefing Tuesday, Trump's property caput Karoline Leavittt said that Trump has not spoken to Carney yet, but "his telephone is ever open" to satellite leaders who privation to talk with the president.

Carney besides met with Kevin Brosseau, the erstwhile Mountie tapped by Trudeau to beryllium Canada's "fentanyl czar" overseeing efforts to extremity the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States. Trump has repeatedly cited fentanyl and migrants arsenic the reasons for tariffs against Canada, contempt overwhelming grounds of the precise debased numbers of each crossing the bluish borderline into the U.S. illegally.

Following his gathering with Carignan, Carney said his authorities volition conscionable the 2 per cent NATO spending people by 2030, modernize North American Aerospace Defence Command and fortify Canada's beingness successful the Arctic.