Image Credit: CFJC Today file image

By Dylana Kneeshaw

NEW PRIME MINISTER

Local Liberal members point to revitalized party under Mark Carney

Mar 10, 2025 | 4:46 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops-area Liberal party members were closely watching the results of the leadership race over the weekend, and say the change in leadership comes at a time when the party’s popularity has grown in recent polls.

And political science observers say the timing of that swell in popularity, paired with recent U.S. tariff strain, could be factors that decide how soon an election is called.

After a decisive leadership win for Mark Carney, Thompson Rivers University Political Science Associate Professor Robert Hanlon says Carney’s differences to Trudeau’s style likely won him favour among party members.

“I think it wasn’t that unexpected. Most observers had anticipated that majority vote in the first round but I don’t think they thought it was going to be so high,” notes Hanlon. “It’s clear that Liberal party members had voted for some kind of change, looking for a leader who was not associated with the previous Trudeau government in an elected format. And looking for more of a techno-cratic figure that knows numbers, looks at policy, and trying to find something different than the regular type of political leader.”

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The PM-designate will take over as the Liberals are up in the polls which, combined with Canada-U.S. tariff turmoil, could see a call for an early election and bring trade war discussions into campaigns.

“One of the things we can confidently say, though, is that the American-first policy of Trump and economic nationalism of the United States has galvanized this country around its political message of the Liberal party. It comes off as trade war messaging. There’s nothing more marketable than war, and it’s using that battle language and its rhetoric and policy language right now in media.” says Hanlon.

“I think they can use that to win votes in the government, and it’s going to be difficult for the Conservatives to find ways to attack that because again, as the opposition party, they’re going to naturally have less time in the spotlight and less voice in the public domain than the ruling party. I think we’re going to see something move pretty quick.”

Jesse McCormick is a lawyer who ran as a candidate under the Liberal banner in 2021, and he’s still involved with the party and the local riding association. He’s among those who backed Carney, and tells CFJC he feels the new leader’s job experience with the Bank of Canada and other financial institutions will be key in making policy decisions to weather economic fluctuations.

“[Carney’s] very first committment out of the gate was to step away from the consumer carbon price and to do away with the proposed increases in the capital gains tax. Taking a look at affordability, Mark Carney is already taking actions and we’re only hearing slogans from Pierre Poilievre,” says McCormick.

The hope is Carney will also continue work on the decade of budget investments and legislation building that the outgoing prime minister had undertaken with First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.

“I think there’s a significant opportunity for First Nations to partner with the Government of Canada on major project development and get the resources we need to market,” said McCormick, “and working in collaboration is going to help to strengthen the Canadian economy.”

Voters will head to the polls in redrawn electoral boundaries for the Kamloops region. Adrienne Murphy Holmgren with the Kamloops area’s riding association says the party does plan to run candidates in both of the new ridings.

“(In) Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies, there’s a specific expression of interest there and then with respect to Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola, which is more similar to Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, the previous Kamloops riding, there’s a number of people who are being approached, and/or putting their hand up,” she notes.

Regardless of when the writ drops, Murphy Holmgren says the combination of new ridings, new candidates and an evolving trade war has ramped up interest in the upcoming election.

“I think Canadians are coming together, in the words of Mike Myers, with elbows up and feeling pretty patriotic. I think we’ll have a higher turnout in the polls, and I think people will be scrutinizing candidates pretty carefully,” she adds.