OTTAWA — Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney and former finance minister Chrystia Freeland are lining up support from Liberal MPs before officially entering the Liberal leadership race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The National Post reached out to nearly all 153 Liberal MPs to ask them who they intend to endorse between Carney, Freeland and Liberal House Leader Karina Gould. Former B.C. Premier Christy Clark decided to drop out of the race, citing her inability to speak French.
So far, about a dozen MPs have declared on the record that they will either endorse Carney and Freeland, with more MPs saying they were leaning towards Carney. Gould has no support from caucus but has the endorsement of former Liberal minister Sheila Copps.
Liberal MPs have cited a need for change and a fresh voice on the economy among reasons why they would throw their support behind Carney. Those endorsing Freeland argued she has a proven track record of standing up to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
A source close to Carney said there were at least 30 MPs endorsing the former banker. To date, Wayne Long, Francesco Sorbara, Sophie Chatel, Iqwinder Gaheer, Sameer Zuberi, Parm Bains and George Chahal have confirmed they want Carney as leader.
In a statement posted on X, Chahal, one of two Liberal MPs in Alberta, confirmed he would be alongside Carney as he launches his leadership bid in Edmonton on Thursday.
Long, an MP from New Brunswick who was the first voice in caucus to formally call for Trudeau to resign last summer, said he spoke to Carney this week and added that, for the first time in years, he is “genuinely excited” to stand behind a leader.
“Mark Carney offers more than a fresh start — he offers a fresh reset, rooted in integrity, competence, and a deep understanding of what it takes to build an economy that works for everyone. This is the kind of leadership we need now more than ever,” he said.
Long also said he was “more than satisfied” that Carney understands the consumer carbon price needs to be changed moving forward.
Freeland, for her part, is expected to announce her intentions by next week. She has garnered support from Liberal MPs Hedy Fry, Kevin Lamoureux, Julie Dabrusin, Lloyd Longfield and Anita Vandenbeld.
Vandenbeld, an Ottawa MP, said that she was previously campaigning for Clark but now that she is no longer running, her support has pivoted to the former finance minister.
“I’m looking for a leader who listens, cares and is authentic. Both Christy Clark and Chrystia Freeland share those qualities,” she said in an email.
“With Christy out of the race it is no contest that my support goes to Chrystia now.”
Rob Oliphant said he is following the field closely and is “strongly encouraging” Freeland to run as leader, touting the fact that she is an experienced politician who has served in both government and opposition and that is a “proven negotiator” with Trump.
Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier also said she will be supporting and working to elect a woman in the leadership contest but would not say if she prefers Freeland or Gould.
Many other MPs are either still considering their options or not taking position in the race.
Veteran MP Judy Sgro said in an interview she was “super disappointed” that Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc will not be running for leader, and said the short timelines did not give aspiring leadership hopefuls enough time to conduct a proper leadership race.
She said she will be consulting with her riding association but did not seem convinced by either one of the two prominent leadership hopefuls.
Sgro said while Carney handled himself well on a U.S. late night show, he has no hands-on political experience. As for Freeland, she said her resignation letter hurt a lot more people than she realized within caucus and that is why many MPs are reluctant to support her.
Her colleague John McKay disagreed with Sgro’s assessment: “Thank goodness Chrystia actually did it, or else there would still be reflections (about Trudeau’s leadership).”
Prospective candidates have until Jan. 23 to register to run and until Jan. 27 to sign up new members. They are also required to submit a $350,000 entrance fee by Feb. 17 in several installments. The next Liberal leader will be announced on March 9.
LeBlanc and many other prominent ministers have said they will not be running to focus all their efforts on fighting U.S. tariffs that could come as early as next week. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he will be coming to a decision by Friday.
Liberal backbencher Chandra Arya and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis have also said they would be running for leader, whereas Mi’kmaw MP Jaime Battiste said he is interested in throwing his hat in the ring.
Pointing to the narrow pool of potential candidates, Sgro said in her opinion the Liberal party should have simply appointed an interim leader to run in the upcoming election.
— With files from Stephanie Taylor, Rahim Mohamed and Chris Nardi.
National Post
[email protected]
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.