OTTAWA — Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc has officially ruled himself out of the race to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In the wake of Trudeau’s announcement Monday that he intends to resign as prime minister, LeBlanc had been encouraged to run by Liberal MPs Mark Gerretsen and Joël Lightbound, who declared in separate media interviews that they would be favourable to LeBlanc’s candidacy.
But, with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatening tariffs against Canada, LeBlanc said he believes “the best way for me to serve our country is to direct my full attention to my job” at such a “critical juncture” in the relationship between the two countries.
“While I am extremely grateful for the encouragement and the expressions of support I have received from caucus colleagues and Liberals across the country, I have decided not to be a candidate in the Liberal Party of Canada’s upcoming leadership race,” said LeBlanc, in a statement posted on social media on Wednesday morning.
Liberal MPs will gather for the first time Wednesday as a national caucus since Trudeau announced he would be stepping down as prime minister, with Parliament now suspended until late March.
MPs are expected to discuss the rules and length of the upcoming race to replace Trudeau.
As leadership hopefuls weigh their chances, National Post spoke with 10 MPs on Tuesday about their hopes for the race and what changes they hope a new leader ushers in. Some MPs say they want a leader who can shake the party’s image of having veered too far to the political left.
More to come…
National Post
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