LPC leadership race | Minister Champagne must confirm this Tuesday that he will also pass his turn

(Ottawa) Barring a last minute change of heart, the Minister of Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, must confirm Tuesday in Toronto that he will not run for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC), thus depriving the Quebec an influential voice in the race to succeed Justin Trudeau.

Mr. Champagne must clarify his intentions during a speech to the Canadian Club, which will largely focus on the future of Canadian-American relations and the return to power of Donald Trump.

Having clearly expressed an interest in taking the helm of the Liberal Party of Canada in recent weeks, Mr. Champagne has been the subject of intense pressure from Liberal MPs, party organizers and former ministers to he is a candidate.

But the tight deadline for this race, the party’s unwritten principle of alternation between a French-speaking leader and an English-speaking leader, the political situation which suggests a scathing defeat for the Liberals in the next elections which could occur as soon as the spring as well as the return to power of Donald Trump, who threatens to impose customs tariffs of 25% on all Canadian products, are all factors that have fueled his thinking since the announcement of Justin Trudeau’s departure last week.

Visit to Washington

Minister Champagne must also go to Washington next Monday to attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Donald Trump. He will represent the Government of Canada with the Minister of Commerce, Mary Ng. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will also attend the ceremony.

“The support and encouragement the minister received from MPs, party organizers, former ministers and Canadians in general was far beyond what he could have initially imagined or hoped for “, confided a source well aware of Mr. Champagne’s intentions who requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak publicly about his decision.

Another source, who also requested anonymity, noted that Mr. Champagne still has a long political career ahead of him on the federal scene and that he will have the opportunity to participate in another race at the appropriate time.

Mr. Champagne is 54 years old, and before being elected to the Commons in 2015, had a career in the private sector.

“The calls and encouragement of the last few days, all of this complicated his decision. […] But it’s money in the bank, whether you are a candidate now or later,” said this source.

The fifth to withdraw

Mr. Champagne will thus become the fifth minister to rule out the option of entering the race, after the Minister of Finance, Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, the Minister of Transport, Anita Anand, and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labor, Steven MacKinnon.

Two other ministers are still juggling the idea of ​​running for party leadership, but they have not yet clarified their intentions. They are the Government House Leader, Karina Gould, and the Minister of Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson.

Mr. Champagne must therefore announce his decision while two other candidates perceived as the leaders of this race – the former Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, and the former governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney – must confirm by next week that they will be candidates.

The name of the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada will be known on March 9. Everything indicates that the race to succeed Justin Trudeau will essentially be a battle between three candidates: Chrystia Freeland, Mark Carney and the former Prime Minister of British Columbia, Christy Clark.

Three other lesser-known candidates – Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq MP Jaime Battiste, Ontario MP Chandra Arya and former Montreal-area Liberal MP Frank Baylis – have indicated plans to enter the race .

Interested candidates have until January 23 to formalize their candidacy, according to the rules unveiled by the PLC last Thursday. In addition, candidates will then have less than two months to campaign. This is three times less time than during the last leadership race, in 2013, which lasted seven months. The entry fee at the time was set at $75,000. This time, the party’s national council set these fees at $350,000.

Several ministers have reiterated the importance of the next Liberal leader being bilingual after backbencher Chandra Arya questioned it. The elected official for the riding of Nepean, in Ontario, caused an outcry by telling the CBC and the National Post that Quebecers, like the rest of Canadians, want a Liberal leader who is capable of delivering the goods, regardless of whether he speaks French or not. Mr. Arya is best known for his Hindu nationalist positions.