Getty ImagesFormer Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney said he is “considering” entering the race to replace Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Trudeau said on Monday that he would step down after nine years as Canada's prime minister, following mounting pressure from his party and weak opinion polls.
Carney, 59, is one of several names in the pipeline to replace Trudeau, along with his former deputy Chrystia Freeland and Transport Minister Anita Anand.
Trudeau says he will remain in office until a new leader is chosen. Meanwhile, Canada's Parliament has been adjourned – or suspended – until March 24.
The Liberals will likely try to appoint a new leader by the end of the comment period — although the timeline and procedures remain unclear. Trudeau promised a “strong, competitive, nationwide process.”
“I will consider this decision closely with my family over the coming days,” Carney, who leads an asset management company and has served as an adviser to Trudeau, told the Financial Times.
He has long been considered a contender for this high position, although he has never held any public office despite his economic background.
During his career as central bank governor — at the Bank of Canada from 2007 to 2013 and then at the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020 — Carney was influential in the response of two major economies to the global financial crisis.
He also led efforts to support the UK economy during its exit from the European Union and the coronavirus outbreak.
Whoever succeeds Trudeau in Canada may face an immediate test. The country must hold its next federal election by October, but a vote is likely to be called before then. The opposition Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, currently enjoys a significant lead in the opinion polls.
Trudeau himself recently admitted that he had long been trying to recruit Carney to his team, most recently as finance minister. “He will be a great addition at a time when Canadians need good people to get involved in politics,” he said last year.
Carney will also bring his experience on environmental matters through his role as UN special envoy on climate action, who has called the net-zero emissions goal “the greatest trade opportunity of our time.”
He is a champion of some unpopular Liberal policies within the country's conservative circles such as the federal carbon tax, the party's signature climate policy that critics say is a financial burden on Canadians.
He also criticized Poilievre, saying that the Conservative leader's vision for the country's future was “without a plan” and “mere slogans.”
Other candidates believed to be credible alternatives to Trudeau include his former deputy Chrystia Freeland, who resigned from government after a disagreement with the Prime Minister's Office in December, and Transport Minister Anita Anand, a lawyer who was elected in 2019.
