Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England, has joined the contest to succeed Justin Trudeau as leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party.
His announcement comes just over a week after Trudeau stepped down, amid dismal polling and growing discontent from his own MPs, ending a nine-year tenure at the helm of Canadian politics.
Carney, 59, will stand in the Liberal leadership race on 9 March, with a general election to follow soon after. The Liberals, in power since 2015, are widely expected to lose, as Canada’s Conservatives — led by firebrand populist Pierre Poilievre — command a substantial lead in the polls.
“I’m doing this because Canada is the best country in the world, but it could still be even better,” Carney said in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. He identified the nation’s most pressing issues, including stagnant wages, the climate crisis, soaring house prices, and the threat of a fresh tariff war with former US president Donald Trump.
Carney is likely to underscore his finance credentials, having overseen both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, the only person to have led two G7 central banks. “I’m here to earn your trust,” he said. “I’m here to ask for your support.”
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