Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave what’s likely to be one of his last news conferences this week. He has been at the helm of the Liberal Party and the country for the past ten years. But by Monday, Liberals will have a new leader.
Trudeau says he will stay on until that leader is sworn in as the new Prime Minister, and his last days as Prime Minister will be up to a conversation with the new Liberal leader.
The Liberal party rank and file have already started casting advance ballots to select the person for the number one job, they can do it by mail or, in some cases, by phone.
During the campaign, there were two debates, one in French and one in English, and the four candidates, for the most part, focused on the threat of tariffs posed by President Donald Trump. They also focused on the economy.
The perceived front runner, by far, is Mark Carney, a former governor of the bank of Canada, as well as former governor of the bank of England. He was born in the Northwest Territories and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta.
“Canada faces one of the most serious crises in our history. To get through it, we will need to build a strong economy, and that requires big changes. During a crisis, it’s important to distinguish what you can’t control from what you can control. We can’t change Donald Trump, but we can control our economic destiny. We are masters in our own home,” Carney said.
According to recent polls, the former finance minister and deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, is running in second place. Freeland was a big part of Trudeau’s team over the past ten years and a key player in the negotiations for a new North American free trade agreement during Trump’s first term. She’s styled herself as a fighter and has focused much of her message on taking on the new leader south of the border.
“Trump is posing the gravest challenge our country has faced since the Second World War. He’s threatening us with economic warfare. That’s not new. Last time, he threatened to rip up NAFTA, and he imposed tariffs on our steel and aluminum. I fought back, and I won. This time, Trump’s threats are even worse. He wants to make us the fifty-first state,” Freeland said.
It was Freeland’s resignation from cabinet in December that ultimately led to Trudeau’s decision, in early January, to announce his resignation.
Also in the race is Karina Gould, the former government house leader. She made her appeal directly to Canadians.
“I know it hasn’t been easy as we face serious challenges to our economy and our sovereignty. But these challenges also present us with incredible opportunities. To unite our country, defend our economy, and protect our values from the threat we are facing from south of the border,” Gould said.
The fourth candidate is businessman Frank Baylis. He is an engineer, an entrepreneur, and a human rights advocate. He served as a member of parliament from 2015 to 2019.
“I want to build a strong and resilient economy that we all benefit from. Number two, I want to improve our health care system so it becomes the best health care system in the world, and it’s not going to cost more money; it’s going to save money. Three, I want to modernize the federal government so that it becomes much more efficacious and better at delivering services to all Canadians.’
So far, Carney has been criticized for his ability in the French language and Freeland for being too close to the Trudeau camp over the past ten years.
Whoever wins becomes the new Prime Minister after being sworn in and will have to face the opposition conservatives when parliament resumes on March 24th, and the very real prospect of a national election, and for what could be a brief period in office, help guide the country through the chaos of the Trump-imposed tariffs.
Registered liberals will have until 3:00 pm Sunday to cast their vote. The leader will be announced later that day.
