Carney Says Liberals Following Trudeau’s ‘Inclusive Society’ Tradition, Emphasizes Unity

Prime Minister Mark Carney stressed unity, national strength, and inclusion in a speech to Liberal Party members on the final day of their annual convention in Montreal.

“Justin Trudeau widened the scope of our inclusive society by lifting … almost 1 million Canadian children out of poverty. He walked the path of reconciliation with indigenous peoples and he built a true compact with future generations,” he said.

“Now we stand in that tradition with the same conviction that the greatest country on earth can become even greater still.”

Carney made the comments during his closing speech at the Liberal Party’s policy convention held April 9–11, as his party is on the cusp of achieving a majority government after next week’s byelections.

During the 36-minute speech, Carney spoke several times on the issue of unity and diversifying trade away from the United States.

“This is not the time for politics as usual, for petty differences, for political point scoring. United, we will build … a Canada strong that no one can ever take away,” he said.

Toward the end of his tenure, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lamented that there is a “backlash against progressive policies of inclusion and diversity.”

His remarks in late 2024 came as a number of corporations such as Toyota and Caterpillar removed policies that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and as the trend accelerated, including among U.S. universities, following the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Carney has reversed several key Trudeau government policies including the consumer carbon tax and electric vehicle mandates, and has put a focus on accelerating selected major projects to boost the economy, while maintaining other net-zero initiatives such as the industrial carbon tax.

On cultural issues, while Carney has stayed away from terms such as “Feminist Foreign Policy” as Trudeau emphasized, the Carney government’s 2025 budget has more expenditure on gender and LGBT programs compared to the Trudeau government’s 2024 budget.

Trade Diversification and Support Programs

In his speech, Carney discussed his economic policies, saying in similar remarks as his past speeches that Canada must strengthen its independence through trade diversification.

“We are creating new trade corridors … to make Canada more connected, more independent, and more prosperous,” he said.

He also emphasized the government’s support programs including the national childcare, dental care, and pharmacare programs.

“As Liberals, we’re passionate about building a strong economy as a means to a just society,” he said.

Carney also highlighted emerging technologies including AI as a key pillar of policies for the future.

Majority Government

The Liberals currently hold 171 seats, one short of a majority, after five opposition MPs crossed the floor to sit with the governing caucus in recent months.

The latest MP to do so is former Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu, who joined the Liberals just ahead of the convention on April 8. Three other Conservative MPs and an NDP MP have also left their parties to join the Liberals since November 2025.

The Liberals are expected to secure a majority government after three upcoming byelections on April 13, as two of them are in Liberal strongholds in Toronto.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre kept his comments on April 11 focused on the issue of affordability, calling on the Liberal government to slash fuel taxes.

“The Mark Carney Liberals are raking in $9 billion in windfall gains from higher oil prices while Canadians have to pay more,” Poilievre said. “Food banks are now forced to spend more on fuel, less on food, all as demand for help surges.”