TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced Sunday she is endorsing former central banker Mark Carney to be the next Liberal leader and Canada’s new prime minister.
Joly said she believes Carney is best positioned to defeat opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in the coming general election, and is the best candidate to deal with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canada.
Carney helped Canada dodge the worst of the 2008 crisis while heading the country’s central bank. He also helped the U.K. to manage the after effects of Brexit during his 7-year tenure as governor of the Bank of England.
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“Mark brings unparalleled economic experience,” Joly said in a statement. “During times of crisis, governments of all stripes turn to Mark, including the 2008 financial crisis and Brexit.”
Joly’s endorsement comes as ex-finance minister Chrystia Freeland begins her campaign Sunday to replace Justin Trudeau, who remains prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen on March 9.
The front-runners for the Liberal Party leadership are Carney and Freeland, whose abrupt resignation last month forced Trudeau’s exit. The Liberal Party membership will elect the new leader.
Joly herself was considered a leadership candidate but decided not to run so she help the government deal with Trump’s tariff threat. Her support for Carney gives him a boost in Quebec, where Joly is from.
Freeland announced her resignation from Trudeau’s Cabinet on Dec. 16, criticizing some of Trudeau’s economic priorities in the face of Trump’s tariff threats. The move stunned the country and raised questions about how much longer the increasingly unpopular Trudeau could stay in office.
The next Liberal leader could be the shortest-tenured prime minister in the country’s history. All three opposition parties have vowed to bring down the Liberals’ minority government in a no-confidence vote after parliament resumes on March 24. An election is expected this spring.
Trudeau announced his resignation on Jan. 6 after losing support both within his party and in the country.
The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment for Canada. Trump keeps calling Canada the 51st state and has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods.
Trudeau told Freeland last month he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister, but that she could remain deputy prime minister and the point person for U.S.-Canada relations.
Freeland resigned shortly after and released a scathing letter about the government that proved to be the last straw for the embattled leader.
