While longtime cabinet ministers Dominic LeBlanc and Melanie Joly have officially announced they have no plans to run for the Liberal leadership — up for grabs since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation on Monday — several well-known faces are organizing behind the scenes to launch bids of their own.
Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is expected to launch his bid next week, with dozens of MPs supporting him, sources close to Carney told CTV News.
On Monday, he said he’s “encouraged and honoured by the support” he’s already received and is “considering this decision closely with (his) family over the coming few days.”
Former B.C. premier Christy Clark is said to be “organizing heavily” and will formally decide early next week whether she will run for the leadership, an official spokesperson confirmed to CTV News.
Clark was the 35th premier of B.C. from 2011 to 2017, and the first woman to be elected premier of the province.
A source close to Karina Gould, the current leader of the Government in the House of Commons, confirmed she is also seriously considering entering the leadership race.
Gould wants to run a campaign focused on affordability and younger Canadians, the source said. She will spend the weekend trying to ascertain whether she can fundraise to make the $350,000 entrance fee.
Earlier on Friday, Joly, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, confirmed she will not be running in this race, despite being widely considered a potential successor to Trudeau.
In a statement on X, Joly wrote that her focus would remain on navigating the “unjustified threat” of tariffs coming from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.
Former N.B. premier Brian Gallant also confirmed to CTV News that he will not be running for Liberal leader, citing his focus on his family.
On Thursday evening, the Liberal Party of Canada released its leadership race rules, saying that a new leader will be picked on March 9 and contestants must declare by Jan. 23.
With files from CTV News Senior Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos
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