The current number two in the Trudeau government, Dominic LeBlanc, will not participate in the race for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC), saying that he feels more useful as Minister of Finance currently.
“I thought about it and concluded that for the moment, the important job I have as finance minister in the face of the threat of US tariffs was still a full-time job,” he said. -he told journalists Wednesday morning, upon his arrival at the national Liberal caucus.
Mr. LeBlanc, who also has the responsibilities of Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, set the table by announcing the news on social networks before his arrival.
In a short statement, he said he was touched to have been encouraged by colleagues to run in the race to succeed Justin Trudeau, and he clarified that he still intended to run again in the next federal election under the leadership of Justin Trudeau. of a new boss.
“I have a full-time job, it’s an important moment for the country’s economy and I’m going to focus on that,” he said in a press scrum, without mentioning the names of others. possible candidates who could receive its support.
Mr. LeBlanc has been elected continuously since 2000 in the riding of Beauséjour, New Brunswick. He is one of Mr. Trudeau’s trusted men; he even accompanied him to Florida to meet Donald Trump recently.
The news aroused the disappointment of certain Liberal MPs, who met Wednesday morning for the first time since Mr. Trudeau’s resignation announcement.
“It’s very sad. Dominic is my first on the list, lamented Ontario MP Judy Sgro. I think he would have been an excellent prime minister.”
His Quebec colleague, Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault, also stressed that Mr. LeBlanc would have been a quality candidate for the Liberals.
-“He is a man who has a lot of experience, he is an intelligent man, he is someone with whom I have excellent relationships, who is an ally for me as Minister of the Environment in many discussions around the cabinet table,” he said.
The Liberal caucus meeting was initially scheduled to last six hours to give MPs time to discuss Mr. Trudeau’s refusal to resign.
Now that Mr. Trudeau has confirmed he will be leaving his post, the focus will instead be on the next steps for the party, as it begins the search for a leader who can stand up to popular Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Some caucus members, including ministers Jonathan Wilkinson, Steven MacKinnon and Karina Gould, are responding to calls from the party’s rank and file and are seriously considering a run for the party leadership.
Others, including Chrystia Freeland, Anita Anand and François-Philippe Champagne, are doing their own outreach with other MPs and party members to gauge support for their possible candidacy.
Senior Liberal leaders are also meeting behind closed doors all week.
The party’s national council must convene a committee to organize and establish the rules for the upcoming race. Developing these rules could take several days once the committee is formed.
