Mark Carney seriously considering running to replace Justin Trudeau

Former Governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney is active in preparation for a possible leadership race in the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) in the event of the departure of Justin Trudeau.

According to a source close to Mr. Carney, this 59-year-old man who has acted as the party’s economic advisor since last summer has made numerous calls in recent days to assess his support.

Mr. Carney also reportedly received dozens of phone calls from MPs and political organizers who expressed interest in him running in a leadership race in the coming months.

This former governor of the Bank of Canada has never closed the door to the idea of ​​running one day to head the PLC. However, his interest now appears much more marked: he is actively considering getting started, indicates a source close to him.

In Mr. Carney’s camp, we also wish to highlight his economic experience as well as the new image that he would bring to the party since he has never been a member of the Council of Ministers of the Trudeau government, a way of detach the PLC of the legacy of the current Prime Minister.

Conservatives, who may sense that Mark Carney is getting closer to a leap into politics, have intensified their attacks on him in recent weeks.

For us, Mark Carney and Justin Trudeau, it’s the same thing. It should be remembered that Mr. Carney is currently the financial advisor to the PLC. […] The astronomical deficit of $62 billion is explained by policies proposed by Mr. Carneydeclared Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative lieutenant for Quebec, in an interview with - on Saturday.

In December, the former governor of the Bank of Canada was approached by Justin Trudeau’s team to become finance minister, according to information first disclosed by the Globe and Mailbut he ultimately chose not to join the Cabinet.

Justin Trudeau still silent on his intentions

The big unknown obviously remains Justin Trudeau’s choice regarding his political future. Before Christmas, the Prime Minister’s entourage indicated that the Liberal leader was going to take the holiday break to think about what to do next after the resounding departure of Chrystia Freeland from the Cabinet on December 16.

Justin Trudeau returned to work on Friday, participating among other things in a meeting of the Canada-American relations committee, but without giving the slightest indication as to his future.

The president of the Liberal caucus, Brenda Shanahan, invited all party MPs to a special meeting next Wednesday, January 8, as elected officials want to increase pressure on Mr. Trudeau to clarify his intentions.

Some told - that they fear the prime minister will hang on despite growing calls for his resignation.

Chrystia Freeland makes calls too

According to our information, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland – also seen as a potential candidate to succeed Mr. Trudeau – has made calls to several members of the caucus in recent days.

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For example, Quebec MP Alexandra Mendès confirms that she spoke with Chrystia Freeland on December 31.

According to the elected representative from Brossard–Saint-Lambert, who publicly called for Mr. Trudeau’s departure, the two women spoke about voter dissatisfaction and also the way in which la population [per]understands the tumults we are experiencing.

I felt that she valued my opinion and wanted to hear itexplains Alexandra Mendès.

The Quebec elected official emphasizes that Ms. Freeland and herself speak regularly and that she did not have the impression that the former minister was trying to position himself for a leadership race.

However, according to our information, Ms. Freeland called at least one other MP to explore the situation. THE Toronto Star also reports that the former Minister of Finance contacted several elected officials in recent days.

A source close to Ms. Freeland indicates that if the minister left her post on December 16 (New window)it was for the reasons given in his letterand that it would be wrong to assume that it was in order to precipitate a leadership race.

Questioned by -, a spokesperson for Ms. Freeland, Katherine Cuplinskas, wrote this: She looks forward to running in the next election as a Liberal candidate in her riding of University-Rosedale.

According to a recent poll* from the Angus Reid firm, Chrystia Freeland would be the candidate who would attract the most support for the PLC.

With the option of Ms. Freeland as leader, the party obtains 21% of voting intentions, unlike 13% with Justin Trudeau at the helm. With the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, the support of PLC stand at 16%. With Mark Carney, they stand at 14%.

With information from Louis Blouin