On January 17, 2025, former Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her candidacy to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the ruling Liberal Party. Freeland, who had been one of Trudeau’s closest allies for a decade, stepped down in December 2024 after refusing his calls for increased spending. She criticized his leadership style in a letter, prompting widespread discontent within the party. Her departure followed mounting frustration among Liberal legislators, particularly after the party’s underwhelming poll results and growing public dissatisfaction with high costs and a housing crisis.
The political turmoil forced Trudeau to announce he would step down after the party selects a new leader, with his departure set for March 9. “I’m running to fight for Canada,” Freeland said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), confirming that her formal campaign would launch on January 19.
Freeland’s path to leadership may be challenging, given her close ties with Trudeau over the past nine years. As finance minister since 2020, she played a key role in shaping the government’s massive social spending program during the COVID-19 pandemic and was central to renegotiating the trade deal between Canada, the United States, and Mexico after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cancel the agreement. She has also served as foreign minister and trade minister since joining the government in 2015.
Her main opponent in the leadership race is expected to be Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of Canada, who entered the contest as an outsider, having never held a government position. Carney announced his candidacy on January 16.
With the next federal election expected by October 20, 2025, but potentially as early as May, Freeland faces the task of distinguishing herself from Trudeau despite their close working relationship over the years. Polls currently suggest that the Liberal Party is poised for a significant loss to the official opposition Conservatives, meaning that whoever succeeds Trudeau is likely to have a brief tenure in office before the election.
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