TORONTO (CNN) -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country would “never” yield to the United States as he declared victory in federal elections early Tuesday, following a campaign overshadowed by relentless provocations and steep trade tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Liberal Party leader issued a stunning rebuke to Trump as he sent a message of unity to a divided nation, promising to “represent everyone who calls Canada home.”
“As I have been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. But these are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us,” Carney said, as he hailed a remarkable reversal in fortune for his party. “That will never ever happen.”
Carney reiterated statements he made on the campaign trail about the vastly changed nature of Canada’s relationship with the United States.
“We are over the shock of the American betrayal but we should never forget the lessons. We have to look out for ourselves. And above all we have to take care of each other,” he said.
Voters have returned Canada’s Liberal Party to power for a fourth consecutive term but it remains to be seen whether Carney has won a majority or will need coalition partners to govern.
The Liberal’s victory was tempered by them appearing set to fall short of winning the 172 seats needed to govern without support from a smaller party.
Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre conceded defeat early Tuesday. Capping a bad night for his party, Poilievre – whose party enjoyed a lead of more than 20 points over the Liberals before Trump returned to the White House – also lost his seat of Carleton to the Liberal challenger, Bruce Fanjoy. Poilievre had held that Ottawa-area seat for more than 20 years.
Former central banker Carney, 60, has led a wave of anti-Trump sentiment since winning his party’s leadership contest in a landslide after former prime minister Justin Trudeau stepped down last month. He has rallied the public against the U.S. president’s threats to annex the country as “the 51st state” and made the defense of Canada a central part of his platform.