PLC Management | François-Philippe Champagne and Christy Clark do not launch

(Ottawa) Minister François-Philippe Champagne confirmed Tuesday that he will not try to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but he did not want to say whether he will be a candidate in the next federal election. The former premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark, is also taking her turn. Despite her efforts, her French is not up to par, she admits.

“It’s a difficult decision, but it’s the right decision at the right time,” said Mr. Champagne before the Canadian Club in Toronto.

The man who holds the position of Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and sits on the Cabinet committee on Canadian-American relations said he wanted to devote all his energy to defending Canada in the face of the threat from the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, to impose customs tariffs of 25% on Canadian imports.

He did not want to confirm whether he was going to run for a fourth time in the riding of Saint-Maurice–Champlain.

“Can I make one decision at a time,” he joked. “For me, it’s already a big day. It’s a difficult decision. »

Everything indicates that no Quebecer will be on the starting blocks for the leadership race of the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC). The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, Steven MacKinnon had already announced that they would pass their turn.

The Minister of Finance, Dominic LeBlanc and the Minister of Transport, Anita Anand, who were also expected, also chose to rule out the leadership.

Mr. Champagne announced his decision shortly after former British Columbia Premier Christy Clark.

“Even though we have come a long way in a short time, there is simply not enough time to mount a successful campaign and for me to communicate effectively with French-speaking Canadians in their language,” she said. declared on X Tuesday. I have worked hard to improve my French, but it is not where it should be today. »

This therefore leaves the field open to the former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, Mark Carney, whose candidacy should be announced in the coming days. He gave an interview to the American show The Daily Show Monday evening where he confirmed without explicitly saying it that he would be a candidate.

Former Finance Minister and former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland also intends to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to The Canadian Press. She must make the announcement before the swearing-in of the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, on January 20 by proposing a plan of retaliatory measures equivalent, dollar for dollar, to the tariffs that Mr. Trump promises to impose on Canadian imports.

Karina Gould, currently serving as Government House Leader, is set to launch her leadership campaign this week. At 37, she would be the youngest candidate.

Another minister is still juggling the idea of ​​running for party leadership, but he has not yet clarified his intentions. This is the Minister of Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson.

Those interested in the Liberal leadership will have to make a decision quickly since they will have until January 23 to formalize their candidacy, according to the rules unveiled by the PLC last Thursday. This leaves them two weeks to organize themselves and gauge their support. The name of the next head of the PLC will be known on March 9.

False start

M^me Clark said she was seriously considering becoming leader of the PLC during an interview on the show The House at CBC, but his race allegedly started with a lie. She denied having ever been a member of the Conservative Party of Canada (PCC) before admitting a few hours later that she had “expressed herself poorly”.

She publicly gave her support to Jean Charest during the conservative leadership race in 2022, but explained during the interview that she ultimately never took out a membership card to vote. His version, sometimes incoherent, contrasted with that of the PCC which provided proof of its membership.

Questioned about her mastery of French during the interview, she affirmed that “no one worked as hard as she” to improve, that she practiced every day, but she admitted in the same breath that she had still efforts to be made.

“The head of the PLC must absolutely be bilingual because our country is bilingual,” she said.

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.

With Joël-Denis Bellavance, The Press and The Canadian Press