Nadine Yousif
Reporting from Toronto

Friday was a notable day in Canadian history, in which the country swore in its 24th Prime Minister Mark Carney.

He is the first Canadian prime minister to never hold elected public office before - the upcoming general election, which must be held on or before October, will be his first. Carney is also the first prime minister to be born in Canada's Northwest Territories.

He unveiled a slimmed down cabinet. A handful of key ministers under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kept their portfolios, while others were shuffled out or into other positions.

Carney then introduced himself to Canadians for the first time as their leader, in an address that sought to distinguish Canada as a dynamic and sovereign nation with a rich history - a direct response to US President Donald Trump's repeated comment on making Canada "the 51st state."

At times, he took aim at his Conservative opponent Pierre Poilievre, setting himself up for a showdown between the two that could come sooner than later. Carney hinted that a general election may likely be called in the coming days.

Poilievre responded quickly, accusing Carney of not being loyal to Canada by shedding light on a controversy, in which a company that Carney had worked at moved its headquarters from Toronto to New York in recent months.

He also sought to link Carney to the unpopular Trudeau, saying his cabinet and policies are not all that different.

In many ways, the day offered Canadians a glimpse of what's to come once an election is called.

Read our full recap of the day here.

Let's get up to speed with a recap of the day's events:

• Mark Carney, a political outsider who won the Liberal Party leadership in a landslide this week, was sworn in as Canada's new prime minister, replacing Justin Trudeau
• Carney's new cabinet was also sworn in, with some familiar names returning, including Dominic LeBlanc as international trade ministerand Francois-Philippe Champagne as minister of finance. One notable absence was Mélanie Joly as foreign minister, who is attending the G7 summit in Quebec
• Today's ceremony is against the backdrop of a deepening trade war with Canada's neighbour the United States, whose President Donald Trump has announced hefty tariffs and made threats to annex Canada. In his first speech as PM, Carney said his country would never "in any shape or form" be part of the US
• Carney would normally making his first official foreign visit to the White House, but he is instead is expected instead to meet with leaders in London and Paris from Monday on his first trip abroad leader
• An election is expected to be called soon, though Carney ruled out making an announcement today. He now faces the challenge of convincing the country to unite behind him in an race against challenger Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party at some point by October
• Speaking to reporters, Carney said he had no immediate plans to meet with Trump, but will do so "at the appropriate moment".
• Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre responded to Carney's speech by attacking the Liberal Party, claiming it had spend its three terms in power making Canada weaker in relation to the US
• Pierre also accused Carney of wanting to instate a "shadow carbon tax" that would affect the lives of everyday Canadians

Earlier, Mark Carney was sworn in as the prime minister of Canada at a ceremony in Ottawa.

Here are snippets of the day in pictures:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Image source, Associated Press

Poilievre is asked by a reporter about Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a Conservative politician, who has recently praised Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying he would be good to take on US President Donald Trump and his tariffs.

The federal Conservative leader responds by repeating some of the talking points he made at the beginning of his address, saying Canadians have a choice of "whether they want to give the Liberals a fourth term," and or whether they want to elect "Canada first Conservatives."

Poilievre adds that a government under his leadership will cut taxes and unleash Canada's natural resources and economic potential.

That question concludes the news conference, in which the leader of the Conservative opposition was reacting to Carney's swearing in as prime minister.

Conservative leader Poilievre accuses Carney of not being sincere in wanting to abolish the Carbon Tax - a divisive carbon pricing programme in Canada implemented by the Trudeau government.

"He cannot really abolish it because the law that created it is still in effect," Poilievre says.

"If he wants to abolish it he has to recall parliament and hold a vote in order to get rid of that legislation."

He says Carney is not willing to take that step, and claims he will instead hide the Carbon Tax from Canadians by temporarily not collecting it in the coming months.

Poilievre also says that Carney has historically been supportive of the Carbon Tax. "You believe they're not going to bring it back two days after the election?"

Image source, Getty Images

Poilievre is now accusing Carney of wanting to instate a "shadow carbon tax" that would affect the lives of everyday Canadians.

"It will destroy our industries if Mr Carney has a chance to do so. Rather than supporting our economy."

Poilievre also claims that as leader, he would "face off against President Trump directly, respond with counter tariffs and take back control".

He adds a Conservative government would cut spending and taxes, protect Canada's borders, develop natural resources and build pipelines, and protect the country from any threats to its sovereignty.

The Conservative leader is speaking now in English, making the same points he made moments ago in French.

Poilievre is continuing his attacks on the Liberal Party, claiming the party made Canada weaker in relation to the US.

Giving the Liberals yet another term would not change anything, he claims, adding they have already had three terms to improve affordability in the country.

He says with another Liberal Party term, Canada risks more debt, rising costs of energy and increasing dependence on the US.

As a reminder, Canada is set to have a federal election this year and both Carney and Poilievre have used statements today to make political attacks against each other.

You can watch Poilievre's remarks in English live at the top of this page

Poilievre also criticises the new cabinet, saying it is comprised of the same Liberal ministers and advisors that worked under former PM Justin Trudeau, and adds that they are delivering the same promises.

"It will be the same Liberal results," he says, criticising the party for increasing Canada's debt, the cost of housing, lines at foodbanks and for making Canada more dependent on the US.

Image source, Associated Press

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre starts off by wishing farewell to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He says it is time to take back control of the economy, strengthen the country's border and the military.

He says it's time to become a stronger, more independent and sovereign country.

Poilievre brings up a controversy involving the headquarters move of the company that Mark Carney previously worked at - Brookfield Asset Management - from Toronto to New York three months ago.

"Mr Carney did exactly what Mr Trump wanted," Poilievre says.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre is now speaking, in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech earlier today.

Stick with us, we'll bring the latest as it happens.

Yves-Francois Blanchet, the leader of Bloc Québecois, is now speaking to reporters.

He says the new set of ministers are there to "send a message" to Canadians, and collaborating with them will be important.

But Blanchet says he has "the right to wonder who exactly will be speaking for Quebec".

Image source, Getty Images

Reacting to the new cabinet, leader of the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) Jagmeet Singh says Mark Carney is sending a message to progressive Liberals that there is no room for them in the party under his leadership.

He criticises Carney for not creating separate cabinet portfolios for minister of women, youth, or people with disabilities.

Singh also criticised him for not having a minister of labour (there is, however, a Minister of Jobs and Families).

"He might say it's just the name, well the name means something," Singh says, calling it a "problematic" omission.

Singh also criticised Carney as someone who has made billionaires "very rich at the cost of workers".

What we learned from Carney's first press conference as PMpublished at 18:18 Greenwich Mean Time 14 March

18:18 GMT 14 March

published at 18:18 14 March

18:18 14 March

Jessica Murphy
Reporting from Toronto

In his first media appearance as prime minister, Mark Carney sought to paint his government as one of action - ready to hit the ground running as Canada faces an escalating trade war with the US, its closest ally and largest trade partner.

He said he would be heading in the coming days to the UK and France as the country seeks to deepen ties with "reliable" - a word he underscored - trade partners.

But it's clear Canada will soon head into a general election. Carney took a few open jabs at the Conservatives, who are currently polling slightly ahead, or even, with the Liberals.

Asked directly about election plans, Carney was more coy. He gave a nod to the fact that, by law, there must be an election by October, but added that in the coming days he would have more to say about getting "as strong a mandate that is needed for the time".

This was a get to know you news conference - generally friendly as reporters queried Carney on major issues, like how he would handle Trump.

But the job will only get more challenging from here.

Soon, we'll be hearing from Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who is expected to respond to Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech.

Stick with us, we'll bring the latest as it happens.

As Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney will inherit the country's response on a number of key global and domestic issues.

Here is where he stands on some of them:

• US tariffs - A big issue that Carney will inherit is how Canada will stand up to the threat of tariffs from the Trump administration. He has vowed to continue the country's response of dollar-for-dollar reciprocal tariffs, and added that any revenue generated from that tax would be reinvested back in Canadian workers. Carney has also underscored the importance of looking for trade partners elsewhere, as well as doing the work to bolster Canada's economy. "He will only respect us if we have other options," Carney has said.
• The Israel-Gaza war - When asked about the war in the Middle East during the French-language Liberal leadership debate, Carney said his stance is that all of the hostages must be returned to their family. He also said there needs to be assistance made available for Gazans. He criticised US President Donald Trump's idea of taking ownership of Gaza and redeveloping it.
• The Ukraine-Russia war - Carney has said that he has been "very proud" of Canada's support for Ukraine so far. The country has committed nearly C$20bn in aid to Ukraine. Carney has said that Ukraine is "a democracy that has suffered an illegal, unjustified, horrible invasion", and added that any discussion of its future cannot happen without Ukrainians at the table.

• The high cost of living - Affordability remains top of mind for Canadians. To help those who are struggling, Carney has suggested tax cuts for middle class families, as well as scrapping the GST tax for those purchasing a new home. He also said he would continue to support Liberal policies, like $10-a-day childcare.

And with that, we've finished the news conference with Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Stick with us for more updates, including from Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilivre.

Image source, Reuters

Carney is asked again about US-Canada relations.

Carney says he "looks forward" to speaking with President Trump.

The prime minister says he understands Trump's agenda and the goal of getting rid of the "scourge" of fentanyl, which affects Canada as well.

But he wants Trump to understand the importance the country puts on Canadian jobs and workers.

Carney says his cabinet has many familiar faces from the previous government, but it is smaller.

He says the smaller team is more focussed and everybody in it is "senior".

One of the top issues is the trade war "crisis" with the US, he says, and so keeping some continuity from the previous government is very important.

Carney delivers his first barb as prime minister towards his political opponent, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Asked about the value of his assets that were recently placed in a blind trust, Carney notes that "by definition, you don't know the assets because the trustees take over that responsibility."

But he adds: "I'd like to assure you that the assets I have were earned through employment income."

"Employment in the private sector is something the leader of the opposition has never experienced," he remarks - a dig at Poilievre, who has been a member of Parliament since the age of 25.

Image source, Reuters

A French-speaking reporter asks Carney about the change of the ministerial portfolio of Canadian Heritage to Canadian Culture and Identity.

The new PM says the change is about strengthening Canadian identity, with language at the centre of it.

He adds that the question of the country’s identity is much broader than just official languages - it also includes nature, oceans and biodiversity.

"To ensure those things are protected and promoted."