Canada is bracing for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s successor, who will follow the Liberal Party leader that has led U.S.’s neighbor to the north since the Obama administration, The Associated Press reported.
The change in leadership will come amid frosty U.S.-Canada relations over President Trump’s tariffs targeting Canada. Last week, the Trump administration imposed 25 percent tariffs on a majority of imports from Canada and Mexico.
Trump later went forward with tariff exemptions for Canada and Mexico-based imports in line with a trade agreement from 2020, but tensions between the U.S. and Canada are still simmering.
All of this comes as Canada’s Liberal Party has a Sunday leadership vote to see who comes after Trudeau, according to the AP. A general election has to be called by Trudeau’s successor, with that election having to occur prior to October, according to The New York Times.
Here’s what you need to know about Trudeau’s possible successors:
Mark Carney
The former leader of the Canadian central bank, Carney also has served as the Bank of England’s leader, gaining bipartisan praise in the United Kingdom in the wake of the fast 2008 financial crisis recovery of Canada, according to the AP.
He has been also recognized for continually letting money move through the economy in Canada via reducing interest rates speedily to a record low, informing the public about low rates to result in uninterrupted borrowing and collaboration on keeping up lending with bankers during the crisis, the AP reported.
Carney has also earned his fair share of Cabinet member and Parliament member endorsements following the January declaration of his candidacy, the AP reported.
Chrystia Freeland
Chrystia Freeland, a former deputy prime minister for Canada, is also in the running for Trudeau’s seat.
Freeland has a background in journalism, previously working at outlets including the Financial Times and Reuters, according to The New York Times. In December, she backed out of Trudeau’s cabinet, with Freeland pointing to fiscal policy contrasts being behind her resignation, according to The Washington Post.
In a December resignation letter from Freeland to Trudeau, she said that Canada was dealing with “a grave challenge.”
“The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25 per cent tariffs,” Freeland added. “We need to take that threat extremely seriously,” she added. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.
“That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment,” she continued.
Karina Gould
Former Families Minister Karina Gould in January said she is “part of a generational shift” in her country, according to CNN, and that an “embrace” of “this shift too” is required by her party.
Gould has put forth the raising of large companies’ corporate taxes so they can be pushed into business and productivity reinvestment rather than deal with a higher corporate tax, according to CNN.
Frank Baylis
Between 2015 and 2022, Frank Balis spent time as a lawmaker, according to CNN. The Montreal businessman presented a proposal last month for two pipelines with the ability of natural gas transportation to European and Asian markets, CNN reported.
Baylis has previously gone after Trudeau over how he has handled Trump and warned about dependance “on one country” by the Canadian economy, also pushing for variety in trading partners, per CNN.
