The race for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) will have to do without the candidacy of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne. He confirmed Tuesday that he is giving up trying to replace Justin Trudeau.
“I have come to the conclusion that I will not seek to become leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in the upcoming race,” the Quebec politician said in front of members of the Canadian Club of Toronto.
François-Philippe Champagne clarified that this is the “most difficult decision he has had to make in his life”, during a discussion in front of an audience with Canadian economic journalist Amanda Lang. He specifies that he will devote his energy to defending Canada against the tariff threats made by Donald Trump.
François-Philippe Champagne was first elected under the Liberal banner in 2015, after a career as a lawyer specializing in international trade. He was appointed by Justin Trudeau as Minister of International Trade, then Minister of Foreign Affairs during the second Liberal mandate in 2019.
He made it clear last week to the parliamentary press that he was seriously considering entering the race to become party leader, and that he would think about it over the weekend. At the same time, he indicated that if he launched, it would be to present “an ambitious vision of Canada, a confident Canada, a Canada that wins in the 21e century”, and that his priority would have been to “stand up against the Trump administration”.
Mr. Champagne is scheduled to fly to Washington on Monday, where he is expected to attend President Trump’s inauguration ceremony. “I’m tired of being seen as the good guy from the North. I want to be seen as a strategic partner of choice,” he said on Tuesday.
Over the past year, François-Philippe Champagne has led economic missions to the United States to prepare for the results of the 2024 presidential election, won by former President Donald Trump. He was also the main person in charge in Ottawa of the battery sector file, which notably led to a major contract for a battery factory project for the Swedish company Northvolt in Quebec.
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