Carney to hold first news conference since election win

Prime Minister Mark Carney will hold a news conference Friday morning, his first time taking questions from media since the Liberals won Monday's federal election.

At the news conference, scheduled for 11 a.m. in Ottawa, Carney is expected to talk about his government's early priorities.

He will also likely address the timing of a first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Carney made negotiations with Trump a cornerstone of his campaign, arguing he would be best to shepherd Canada through a trade war with the U.S. and Trump's annexationist threats.

Trump said on Wednesday that Carney would visit the White House "within the next week or less."

The Prime Minister's Office has not yet commented on that timeline. But in a readout of a call between Carney and Trump that happened on Tuesday, the PMO said the two leaders "agreed to meet in person in the near future."

The Liberals won 168 seats in the federal election, not quite the 172 that are required for a majority in Parliament. The Conservative Party won 144 seats.

Carney won elected office for the first time in the Ottawa riding of Nepean.

The new prime minister has been holding meetings and making calls — some with foreign leaders — this week. He is expected to name a cabinet before Parliament is scheduled to resume the week of May 26.