Former Finance Minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland, Declares Candidacy to Succeed Trudeau
Chrystia Freeland announces her candidacy to lead Canada's Liberal Party after Justin Trudeau decides to resign.
Chrystia Freeland, the former Canadian finance minister, announced on Friday her candidacy to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the leader of the Liberal Party.
Freeland, a close political ally of Trudeau for ten years, resigned last month due to disagreements over his calls for increased government spending and criticized his leadership style.
Her sudden departure caused turmoil within the Liberal Party, which was already grappling with declining popularity because of high living costs and a housing crisis.
This situation compelled Trudeau to declare his intention to step down once a new leader is chosen, with a successor scheduled to be named by March 9, 2025.
In her announcement, Freeland stated, "I’m running to fight for Canada," with a formal campaign launch planned for Sunday.
Polls indicate the Liberal Party risks a major loss to the Conservative Party in the upcoming federal election, and Freeland faces the challenge of differentiating herself from Trudeau, considering her long-standing association with him, especially as finance minister since 2020.
Her main rival for the leadership is anticipated to be Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada.
Carney, who declared his candidacy on Thursday, is positioning himself as an outsider, contrasting with Freeland's ties to the current administration.
Freeland, 56, had served as finance minister since August 2020, significantly contributing to Canada’s multibillion-dollar social spending program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She previously held the role of foreign minister and led Canada’s trade negotiations to successfully renegotiate the North American trade agreement with the United States and Mexico.
Freeland was first appointed to government in November 2015 as trade minister.
Prior to her political career, she was a senior journalist with several media organizations, including the Financial Times, Reuters, and the Globe and Mail.
Freeland, a close political ally of Trudeau for ten years, resigned last month due to disagreements over his calls for increased government spending and criticized his leadership style.
Her sudden departure caused turmoil within the Liberal Party, which was already grappling with declining popularity because of high living costs and a housing crisis.
This situation compelled Trudeau to declare his intention to step down once a new leader is chosen, with a successor scheduled to be named by March 9, 2025.
In her announcement, Freeland stated, "I’m running to fight for Canada," with a formal campaign launch planned for Sunday.
Polls indicate the Liberal Party risks a major loss to the Conservative Party in the upcoming federal election, and Freeland faces the challenge of differentiating herself from Trudeau, considering her long-standing association with him, especially as finance minister since 2020.
Her main rival for the leadership is anticipated to be Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada.
Carney, who declared his candidacy on Thursday, is positioning himself as an outsider, contrasting with Freeland's ties to the current administration.
Freeland, 56, had served as finance minister since August 2020, significantly contributing to Canada’s multibillion-dollar social spending program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She previously held the role of foreign minister and led Canada’s trade negotiations to successfully renegotiate the North American trade agreement with the United States and Mexico.
Freeland was first appointed to government in November 2015 as trade minister.
Prior to her political career, she was a senior journalist with several media organizations, including the Financial Times, Reuters, and the Globe and Mail.
