The Liberal Party of Canada is holding a crucial vote to decide who will take over from Justin Trudeau as its leader and, subsequently, the country’s prime minister. Four candidates are vying for the top job: Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould, and Frank Baylis.
The Liberal Party of Canada is holding a crucial vote to decide who will take over from Justin Trudeau as its leader and, subsequently, the country’s prime minister. The results are expected by Sunday evening, with four candidates vying for the top job.
The Candidates
Mark Carney, a former central banker and governor of the Bank of England, is widely seen as the frontrunner for the position. He has pitched himself as a strong fiscal manager who can help navigate challenging times, including the current trade war with the US. Carney’s experience in crisis management and negotiating skills are seen as essential qualities to steer Canada through the fallout caused by Trump’s tariffs.
Mark Carney is a Canadian economist and banker who has held several high-profile positions, including Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020.
He previously served as Senior Advisor to BlackRock's Strategic Growth Group from 2021 to 2022.
As Governor, Carney implemented policies to address climate change, such as the 'climate crisis' warning label on financial products.
He also introduced a new framework for measuring banks' resilience to economic shocks.
Carney is known for his expertise in monetary policy and has written extensively on global economic issues.
Born in Canada’s Northwest Territories and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Carney has sought to highlight his Canadian roots and paint himself as a political outsider. He has served as a special economics adviser to Trudeau and has long been considered a contender for the top job. However, he has never held public office and has tried to distance himself from the unpopular PM.
Chrystia Freeland, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, is another prominent candidate. She was born in Alberta to a Ukrainian mother and has had a distinguished career as a journalist and politician. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, she helped renegotiate a free trade deal with the US and Mexico. Freeland has received cabinet endorsements from Health Minister Mark Holland and Justice Minister Arif Virani.
Chrystia Freeland is a Canadian politician and diplomat, serving as the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada since 2019.
Born in 1976 in Edmonton, Alberta, she holds a degree in history from Harvard University and a master's degree in international relations from Oxford University.
Freeland previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and has been a Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre since 2013.
Karina Gould, a former trade and investment specialist, is running on a platform to represent a ‘new generation’ in Canadian politics. She was first elected in 2015 and has served multiple roles in Trudeau’s cabinet, including families minister and international development minister. Gould launched her bid by saying Canadians have lost trust in their party.
Frank Baylis, a former Liberal member of parliament, is also seeking the leadership position. He claims to bring his experience from the world of business to address affordability and cost-of-living challenges facing Canadians. Baylis has been critical of Trudeau’s approach to Trump’s tariff threats and believes he would deal with Trump better than his opponents.
Who Dropped Out?
Many prominent cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, chose not to run in this race. Jaime Battiste, a member of parliament from Nova Scotia, dropped out earlier, while former Toronto area MP Ruby Dhalla was kicked out over ‘extremely serious’ violations, including allegations of inaccuracies in her campaign’s financial reporting.
The new leader will become Canada’s prime minister but must win a general election to hold onto the top job. Whoever replaces Trudeau will have to grapple with US President Donald Trump’s threats against Canada, which include an escalating trade war and repeated calls to make the country the US’s ’51st state’.
