Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney officially launched his campaign to succeed Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) on Thursday afternoon in Edmonton, Alberta.
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If he had already hinted at his intentions during an interview on an American television program, last Monday, Mark Carney had not yet confirmed that he was running for the leadership of the party.
“I am here to ask for your support, to gain your trust and to lead this fight. I am back home in Edmonton to declare my candidacy as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada,” he declared, in French, in front of a crowd of enthusiastic supporters.
In his speech, Mr. Carney repeatedly referred to a “broken” system and Canada.
He also increased attacks on the leader of the Conservative Party, calling him, among other things, a “populist.”
“I know I’m not used to politics, but this is not a time for politics as usual. This is not the time for long-time politicians like Pierre Poilievre,” he said.
Mr. Carney also highlighted the Conservative leader’s ties to the US president-elect.
“There are a lot of differences between me and Pierre Poilievre. I’ll give you one. While I focus on the importance of building the economy, he continues to support Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” he said.
Mark Carney and former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland are the two frontrunners in this LPC leadership race.
Ms. Freeland, however, has not yet formalized her candidacy. She should do so on Friday, simultaneously in Montreal and Toronto.
