Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney is set to officially enter the race for the Liberal party leadership, ending years of speculation. He will face competition from Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould, with a focus on distancing himself from the unpopular Trudeau government. Carney's campaign launch in Edmonton highlights his Alberta roots and positions him as an outsider.
Mark Carney is poised to launch his Liberal leadership campaign in Edmonton today, putting an end to nearly a decade of speculation about his political aspirations. Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and government House leader Karina Gould are also anticipated to join the race in the coming days. The deadline to declare candidacy is January 23rd, with hopefuls required to pay a $350,000 entrance fee.
Liberals will choose their new leader, effectively marking the end of the Trudeau era, on March 9th.Carney intends to portray himself as an outsider and distance himself from the increasingly unpopular government led by outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives are expected to link Carney to the Trudeau administration's declining reputation and criticize him for his past support of carbon pricing and his recent role advising the Liberal party on economic matters. Poilievre has been honing his attacks on Carney for years, labeling him as 'carbon tax Carney' and more recently as 'just like Justin.' It remains unclear how Carney will address the Trudeau government's controversial carbon pricing system during the campaign. In a 'The Daily Show' interview that garnered nearly two million views online, host Jon Stewart asked Carney if he's 'stuck holding the carbon tax bag.' Carney responded that Canada needs to tackle climate change while ensuring 'Canadians are not paying the price,' but he didn't commit either way.For years, Carney has been the subject of intense media speculation both domestically and internationally regarding his interest in the Liberal party leadership. He opted not to run in 2013, when Trudeau decisively secured the Liberal leadership and guided the party to a majority government in the 2015 election. Launching his campaign in Edmonton allows the 59-year-old to prominently showcase his Alberta roots as Canadians become acquainted with him. An Edmonton Oilers fan, Carney grew up in the city's west end and worked as a newspaper boy, according to a 2012 profile published in the Edmonton Journal. Alberta has the potential to be a fiercely contested battleground between Carney and Freeland, who also hails from the province. While most voters in conservative-leaning Alberta are unlikely to aid the Liberals in escaping political obscurity following Trudeau's departure, the province will be a crucial target for leadership contenders seeking support. Under party regulations, each of Canada's 343 federal ridings is worth 100 points in the leadership race. Martha Hall Findlay, who contested the Liberal leadership against Trudeau but has since left the party, stated that this means Liberals in Alberta ridings could wield disproportionate influence in deciding the winner. 'Most Canadians don't grasp just how critical it is that each riding carries equal weight,' she emphasized. 'Watch both Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney emphasizing their Alberta roots heavily, because the ridings out here have far fewer Liberal members.
MARK CARNEY LIBERAL LEADERSHIP JUSTIN TRUDEAU CHRYSITA FREELAND CARBON PRICING ALBERTA POLITICS CANADIAN POLITICS
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