After nearly 12 years at the helm of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau says he will step down from the party’s top job once a new leader is chosen.
But who comes next? And how will the party select a new leader?
Outside his residence in Ottawa, Trudeau told reporters of his intention to step down following months of mounting pressure.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau said he informed the Liberal party president on Sunday evening.
“Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process. This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election.”
The Liberal party’s board of directors must now set a date for the next leadership election establish the leadership expenses committee, according to the party’s constitution.
But who could enter the race to replace Trudeau?
Mark Carney’s potential plunge into politics has been rumoured since the summer, when Trudeau acknowledged that he has been speaking with Carney “for years about getting him to join federal politics.”
On Sunday, Global News reported that in the last few weeks, Carney has spent many hours on the phone with Liberal MPs — seeking their advice and support for a run at the leadership of the federal Liberal party, should that job come open in the coming days.
While Carney was unavailable for an interview Sunday, a source with knowledge of his activities said Carney has spoken to “dozens” of Liberal MPs over the Christmas break but declined to identify those MPs.
Born in Fort Smith, N.W.T., and raised in Edmonton, Carney earned an undergraduate economics degree from Harvard University and followed that up with master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University.
He’s a well-known name in global financial circles.
Carney was governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013, steering the central bank’s response to the global financial collapse.
That performance led him to take on the same role as governor at the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, becoming the first non-Briton to lead the institution.
While much of his career has been in the private sector and central banking, Carney did have a three-year stint in Canada’s finance department, serving as senior associate deputy minister of finance to two finance ministers: Liberal Ralph Goodale and Conservative Jim Flaherty.
After Trudeau’s announcement Carney thanked him for his service.
“Thank you Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau for your leadership, for your many contributions to Canada, and for the sacrifices you and your family have made for public service. Wishing you the best for your next chapters,” he posted on the social media site X.
Chrystia Freeland was first elected as a Liberal MP for Toronto Centre in 2013, then for University-Rosedale in 2015, which she has held since.
Freeland’s ministerial portfolios in the Trudeau government have included handling international trade, foreign affairs and intergovernmental affairs. She has also played a significant role in Canada’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine; her mother is Ukrainian and Freeland, fully fluent in the language, studied in Kyiv.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
In the previous Donald Trump administration, Freeland led the Canadian team in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, later the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Most recently, Freeland was finance minister and deputy prime minister.
But she resigned just hours before a lockup for the Fall Economic Statement in the House of Commons, saying in a letter that she and Trudeau found themselves “at odds” about the direction of the country’s finances.
Freeland lambasted what she called “costly political gimmicks” and stressed the need for Ottawa to keep its “fiscal powder dry” ahead of Trump’s second presidential term in the United States.
Now a member of the Liberal backbench, Freeland has long been rumoured as a potential contender to succeed Trudeau and lead the party.
But her popularity is not universal, some MPs have told Global News.
In fact, some of Trudeau’s ministers resent the method and timing of her departure.
“Chrystia Freeland’s actions are deeply disappointing,” said Brampton, Ont., Liberal MP Kamal Khera who is also the minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities.
Meanwhile, a source close to Freeland, who also asked not to be identified, responded to calls by MPs like Sean Casey and Chandra Arya that she become leader by saying, “That is not at all what [her resignation] was about. The PM lost confidence in her and she felt she couldn’t continue as a Minister knowing that he no longer had confidence in her. It’s really as simple as that. So I think the chatter is getting way ahead of itself right now.”
After announcing his resignation on Monday, Trudeau called Freeland “an incredible political partner” over the past decade.
He said he had hoped she would stay on as the deputy prime minister to tackle “one of the most important files” for Canada, in apparent reference to the trade threats of the looming Trump presidency, “but she chose otherwise.”
Freeland thanked Trudeau for his years of service as prime minister on Monday.
“I thank Justin Trudeau for his years of service to Canada and Canadians. I wish him and his family the very best,” she posted on X.
Several Ontario Liberal MPs interviewed last month by Global News spoke admiringly of Freeland but some said they would prefer longtime Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc, who took over Freeland’s job as finance minister, to lead the party into the next election.
If LeBlanc does run for Liberal leadership, it would not be his first time.
LeBlanc ran for the post back in 2008, but withdrew shortly after, throwing his support behind Michael Ignatieff, who led the Liberals to their worst-ever performance in the 2011 election.
Following Ignatieff’s resignation in 2012, LeBlanc was seen as a potential party leader. However, he supported Justin Trudeau’s bid to lead the party then.
In 2015, he was appointed leader of the government in the House of Commons by Trudeau.
Throughout his time in the Trudeau cabinet, LeBlanc has held eight different portfolios at different times, his latest role being minister of finance.
Last month, LeBlanc was asked if he would consider an opportunity to lead the country if he were given the chance. He said Trudeau had the full confidence of his cabinet.
“If the prime minister has the full support of his cabinet, then why would we contemplate what happens after he decides to leave?” he said.
On Monday, after Trudeau’s resignation, LeBlanc said it was the honour of his life to serve alongside Trudeau.
“Beyond politics, your friendship and your support during my fight with cancer is something for which I will never cease to be grateful. I will always be proud of everything we accomplished together for Canadians,” he posted on X.
LeBlanc is the son of former governor general Romeo LeBlanc, a personal friend of Trudeau’s and has been the MP for the New Brunswick riding of Beausejour since 2000.
He is Acadien.
LeBlanc is a two-time cancer survivor — he was diagnosed with in April 2017 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and was declared in “complete remission” by fall 2018, and then was diagnosed and treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in April 2019 before returning to cabinet in January 2020.
Former British Columbia premier Christy Clark is among the few leaders who have openly expressed their interest being involved with the federal party after Trudeau.
“The position of Liberal leader is not going to be available any time soon,” Clark said in a statement in October, which her office provided to Global News.
“If that were to change, I would want to be part of the conversation on the future direction of the Liberal Party and of the country.”
Global News reported at the time that Clark, a registered Liberal party member who led the more centre-right BC Liberals as premier from 2011 to 2017, has been taking French lessons.
She also spoke at the Ontario Liberals’ annual general meeting last month.
Clark was premier of B.C. from 2011 to 2017.
After the 2017 provincial elections, the B.C. Liberals were the single largest party in the legislature, but lost power to a supply and confidence deal between the Green Party and the B.C. NDP.
On Monday, Clark thanked Trudeau for his time as prime minister. While she did not directly say whether she would run for leader, she said this represented a big opportunity for the party.
“As a lifelong Liberal I look forward to joining tens of thousands of Canadians to choose our next Leader. This is the biggest opportunity in over a decade that we’ve had to grow our Party and welcome new Liberals – including Canadians concerned about the future of our country – let’s seize it!” she posted on X.
After a career as a lawyer working in Europe, François-Philippe Champagne returned to Canada and ran as the Liberal candidate for Saint-Maurice-Champlain in 2015.
After being elected to the House of Commons in that election, Champagne has had a steady rise within the party and government.
During his time in the Trudeau cabinet, Champagne has held three major portfolios — minister of infrastructure and communities, minister of foreign affairs and his current post of minister of innovation, science and industry.
He has played a highly-visible role on key files including national security reviews of Chinese companies and foreign investment in Canadian industries, as well as the critical minerals development strategy.
Reacting to Trudeau’s announcement on X, Champagne said, “We should be thankful for Justin Trudeau’s dedication & service to our country for so many years. From helping Canadians in times of need to reshaping our country’s industrial landscape & seizing generational opportunities, Canada can look forward to the future with confidence.”
Just like fellow Quebecer Champagne, Joly entered federal politics in 2015, winning the riding of Ahuntsic-Cartierville for the Liberals.
Trudeau named her minister of Canadian heritage in 2015, where she served until 2018.
She was shifted to the role of tourism minister in 2018 in what was widely characterized in media reporting as a demotion before becoming minister of economic development in 2019, before being moved to the foreign affairs portfolio in 2021.
In 2021, Joly took on her most prominent role to date as Canada’s foreign minister.
Her tenure has coincided with conflict in the Middle East, war between Russia and Ukraine, reports of foreign interference in Canadian politics and the threat of tariffs from an incoming Donald Trump administration in the United States.
— with files from Global’s Craig Lord and David Aikin
Read the full article here
