Mark Carney will be sworn in as Canada's 24th prime minister at a ceremony at Rideau Hall Friday after the formal resignation of Justin Trudeau.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, who will preside over the event, announced late Wednesday the swearing-in ceremony for Carney and his new cabinet will take place at 11 a.m. ET in the Rideau Hall ballroom.
Carney, who was selected as Liberal leader Sunday in a landslide vote, has promised a "seamless" and "quick" transition.
Carney captured nearly 86 per cent of the Liberal vote, far ahead of opponents Chrystia Freeland (who got eight per cent), Karina Gould (3.2 per cent) and Frank Baylis, who came in last with three per cent.
Carney has already been meeting with seniors officials, including Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff Jennie Carignan, PMO staff and Canada's ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman.
When Trudeau announced his plans to resign in January, Parliament was prorogued until March 24.
A federal election call is widely expected soon after Carney is installed as prime minister before the House of Commons returns.
Carney, who has never been elected, has not said which riding he intends to seek election for a seat.
The Liberals have recently rebounded in the polls after lagging behind the Conservatives for nearly two years.
A new Leger poll suggests the federal Liberals and the Conservatives are running neck-and-neck in voter support.
The poll of Canadians’ voting intentions, released this week, has both parties sitting at 37 per cent. The survey was conducted online and cannot be assigned a margin of error.
It shows a drop of six points for the Conservatives and a seven per cent jump for Liberals since Feb. 24, while the NDP is down two per cent to 11 per cent.
Leger surveyed 1,548 Canadians between March 7 and March 10 — which means the poll wrapped up just after Liberals picked Mark Carney as the new party leader and prime minister-designate.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2025.
