Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney officially joins the race to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leader of the ruling liberal party.

Carney launched his campaign for party leadership Thursday afternoon at a rally in Edmonton, the capital of the western Canadian province of Alberta.

“I’m returning home to Edmonton to announce my candidacy for leadership of the Liberal Party and prime minister of Canada,” Carney said, flanked by supporters and Liberal MPs.

The 59-year-old is considered one of the front-runners in the race to replace Trudeau. He served as governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013, and then ran the Bank of England until 2020.

Trudeau announced his Step down Amid growing pressure and declining public support in early January, he will remain in office until the party elects his successor in early March.

The Liberals hope a new leader can help improve their chances ahead of an election due in late October.

Recent surveys about the upcoming election show the opposition Conservatives leading by more than 20 points over the Liberals, who face growing anger as many Canadians grapple with an affordability crisis.

The Liberal government has also under pressure to avoid the threat of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump imposing hefty 25% tariffs on Canadian goods when he takes office next week.

Carney, who has sought to position himself as a political outsider, said Thursday that his leadership bid comes at a critical time for the country.

“Too many people are falling behind. Too many young people can’t afford housing. Too many people can’t find a doctor,” he said.

“The bottom line is… in just four days, the United States will swear in Donald Trump as their 47th president, who will threaten their closest and staunchest allies, including Canada. economic power.”

Carney also criticized Pierre PlièvreThe Conservative leader is widely expected to become the country’s next prime minister after this year’s election.

“‘Canada is Broken’ is one of Pierre Pliyev’s many three-word slogans, and it couldn’t be more dangerous,” Carney said.

“Conservatives don’t go around saying Canada is broken because they want to fix it. They want a license to dismantle and destroy,” he continued. “Their three sentences cannot solve the problem, but will hurt ordinary people.”

Plijevr, right-wing populists Carney, who was first elected to the Canadian Parliament in 2004, attacked Carney as a supporter of the Trudeau government’s carbon pricing policy, which imposes fees on carbon emissions.

He has dubbed economists a “carbon tax carney” and pledged to repeal the policy if elected.

Plijevre reiterated the theme in response to Carney’s statement on Thursday, once again linking the Liberal leader to the unpopular Trudeau government and the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP).

“Carbon tax Carney supports raising NDP-Liberal taxes on gas, heat (and) groceries,” Poilievre wrote Thursday on social media platform X. “Just. Like. Justin.”

The Conservatives also rejected the idea that Carney was an outsider, noting a statement He served as an economic adviser to the Liberal government under Trudeau.

“As a long-term Liberal insider… Carney is the furthest thing from an outsider,” the party said. “It’s clear that Carney and the Liberals will stop at nothing to try to retain power. But they cannot be allowed to be trust.”

Carbon tax Carney supports increasing the NDP-Liberal tax on gas, heat and groceries, quadrupling it to $0.61 per liter.

only. like. Justin. pic.twitter.com/MEWQdQKPwb

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 16, 2025

The Liberals will elect a new leader and, by extension, the next prime minister on March 9, just weeks before Parliament reconvenes on March 24.

However, it is unclear how long the new prime minister will hold the top job.

The Conservatives and other opposition parties have said they plan to file a motion of no-confidence against the Liberal government, triggering an election.

In addition to Carney, Liberal MP Chandra Arya and businessman Frank Baylis have also officially entered the Liberal leadership race.

But the race is widely expected to end up in the hands of Carney and Canada’s former finance minister Chrystia FreelandA long-time ally of Trudeau, he resigned from the cabinet at the end of December.

Freeland, who has yet to formally announce her campaign, dropped out over disagreements with Trudeau over how to respond to Trump’s looming tariff threat.

She teased her leadership in a social media post on Wednesday, saying she would have “more to say soon!”

The fifth cup of tea, the calls never stop – fellow Liberals, thank you for the opportunity to hear from you and hear your thoughts!

I’ll have more to say soon! pic.twitter.com/miGcmgtzfk

— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) January 15, 2025