Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on January 6 his intention to resign as prime minister and leader of the ruling Liberal Party before this year’s general election. Mr. Trudeau said the reason was that he was facing distracting infighting and said that Canada deserved a real choice in the next election.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he will resign when the ruling Liberal Party chooses a new leader
According to Reuters, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced on January 10 that she would not join the race to replace Mr. Trudeau because she wanted to focus on dealing with the threat of tariffs from the US. Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc also cited official responsibility and decided to stand aside.
On January 11, Transport Minister Anita Anand confirmed that she would not participate in the party leadership contest and would not run for the upcoming parliamentary election. On January 12, it was Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon’s turn to announce that he would not run to replace Mr. Trudeau but would run for the upcoming parliament.
The Liberal Party will choose a new leader on March 9. The deadline to register as a party member and vote for leadership is January 27. The fee to run for election is 350,000 CAD (6.1 billion VND). The party leader will become prime minister for the remainder of Mr. Trudeau’s term. The next general election in Canada will take place before October 20 and the opposition Conservative party is expected to win, regardless of who becomes the next leader of the Liberal party.
Thus, according to Reuters, the race currently has a few outstanding candidates:
Former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland
Ms. Chrystia Freeland when she was still minister of finance in 2020
Ms. Freeland (57 years old) was one of Mr. Trudeau’s closest allies during the leader’s 9 years in power and was once considered the person with the “huge” record in the government. In December 2024, Ms. Freeland suddenly resigned due to conflicts over government spending and wrote a letter criticizing Mr. Trudeau’s leadership.
Ms. Freeland used to be a journalist, working in major newsrooms such as Financial Times, The Globe and Mail and Reuters. Ms. Freeland joined the government in November 2015 as Minister of Trade.
Ms. Freeland has been Canada’s Minister of Finance since August 2020 and helped outline the government’s multi-billion dollar social spending program to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
She served as foreign minister and led the Canadian delegation to successfully negotiate a trade agreement with the US and Mexico despite US leaders’ threat to cancel the agreement.
Former Governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney
Mr. Mark Carney attended a conference in England in 2024
Mr. Mark Carney (60 years old) is a veteran economist, the first person to lead two major central banks. Mr. Carney studied at Harvard University and Oxford University and worked for Goldman Sachs before joining the Canadian Ministry of Finance in 2004. He was Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2007-2013. He is credited with playing a major role in helping Canada avoid the worst impact of the global financial crisis that began in 2007.
He served as Governor of the Bank of England from 2013-2020. He also warned of economic damage if Britain left the European Union (EU), also known as Brexit, causing fierce attacks from Brexit supporters. Finally, Britain officially left the EU in 2020 and that year Mr. Carney also left the Bank of England. He was later appointed as a United Nations special envoy for climate and finance. Currently, he is Vice President of Brookfield Asset Management.
He is the only serious candidate who does not join Mr. Justin Trudeau’s government. Mr. Carney has for many years been considered a potential candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party thanks to his outstanding record in the financial sector. Recently, he said he would consider running to replace Mr. Trudeau.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne spoke in the Canadian parliament in December 2024
Mr. Champagne (55 years old) was a lawyer and businessman before joining Mr. Trudeau’s government in 2015. He served as minister of trade, infrastructure and foreign affairs before assuming his current position. in January 2021. In this capacity, Mr. Champagne leads efforts to attract foreign investment to Canada’s electric vehicle and automotive battery sectors.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson
Mr. Wilkinson (60 years old) is a former businessman who worked for green technology companies. From 2018-2019, he led the Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans and Coast Guard. From 2019-2021, he held the position of Minister of Environment and Climate Change. In that position, he must keep a balance between protecting the resource exploitation industry and implementing the government’s plan to cut oil and gas emissions. He also lobbied for easing licensing procedures for mining companies in implementing new projects.
