This article was originally published on the Village Media site ParliamentToday.ca.
The list of potential successors to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got a lot smaller Tuesday.
Speaking at the Canadian Club Toronto, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne confirmed he will not run in the Liberal leadership race.
“I will dedicate my energy to defend Canada, to defend Canadians, to defend Canadian businesses,” he said. “It was probably one of the most difficult decisions in my life, but I think it's the right one at the right time.”
Whether Champagne will endorse another candidate or run for re-election is still up in the air. The minister was coy when speaking with reporters following the event, saying “this is a decision for another day.”
However, the MP for Saint-Maurice-Champlain in Quebec did express his expectations for the next leader of the Liberal Party: they must be fluent in French and “make sure that all regions of Canada are represented in their platform.”
So far, no members of cabinet have come forward to formally announce their candidacy as Liberal leader.
Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, whose name has been floated for months as a possible successor to Trudeau, appears to be one of the few big names getting ready to launch a bid. On Monday night he appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to talk about U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs threats and the carbon tax.
“Wild hypothetical: Let's say the candidate wasn't part of the government. Let's say the candidate did have a lot of economic experience. Let's say the candidate did deal with prices. Let's say the candidate had a plan to deal with the challenges in the here and now,” Carney told Stewart, while dancing around multiple questions about whether he will run in the race.
While he hasn’t publicly said he will enter the race, reports suggest Carney will make a formal announcement later this week.
Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland is also reportedly set to decide whether she will mount a bid before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. A source told The Canadian Press that if she puts her name in, she will propose a dollar-for-dollar tariff on U.S. imports to match the cost of any tariffs imposed on Canada.
Freeland resigned from Trudeau’s cabinet on the morning of the fall economic statement in December, warning that the federal government shouldn’t be focused on “costly political gimmicks” amid the threat of 25 per cent tariffs. She said at the time that Ottawa should instead be “pushing back against ‘America First’ economic nationalism with a determined effort.”
Cabinet staying intact ahead of inauguration
So far, multiple cabinet ministers — including Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon, Transport Minister Anita Anand, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc — have bowed out of the leadership race.
For many, timing appears to be a factor.
While Parliament is prorogued, the cabinet continues to work on strengthening relations with the U.S. while facing pressure from Canada’s premiers to respond to Trump. Premiers are set to meet with Trudeau on Wednesday to discuss retaliation efforts.
LeBlanc met with Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday ahead of that meeting. Ford chairs the Council of the Federation and has been vocal about how Canada should take an “Am-Can” approach to dealing with the U.S. He has also suggested that Ontario will cut off electricity to certain U.S. states if tariffs are imposed.
“The only responsible thing for the national government is to acknowledge that all options are on the table,” LeBlanc said of whether energy exports would be part of the potential retaliations. “Obviously, we want to see what the American action is next week, if it comes next week.”
“I think we need to be ready to deploy all of the measures necessary to defend the Canadian economy. But we're not going to publicly speculate what is or what isn't an option.”
Champagne, meanwhile, told the Canadian Club Toronto that oil and energy shouldn’t be used as bargaining chips in a potential trade war. Instead, he urged officials to work closer together and perhaps look at a defence and energy pact with the United States.
“Listen, if you're saying ‘no’ to Canada, you're basically saying ‘yes’ to other nations, because 60 per cent of all that they import is from Canada,” Champagne said to a room full of stakeholders and business leaders.
He said that while it’s important not to escalate the situation, the federal government must show strength and a willingness to respond. He added that conversations are continuing to happen and that he will be going on U.S. networks, meeting with the governor of Michigan, and will be at Trump’s inauguration to make Canada’s case.
However, it’s unclear if this decision was made before Trudeau announced a cabinet retreat will take place in Quebec from Jan. 20 to 21.
Who else is on the docket for Liberal leader?
Backbencher MPs Jaime Battiste and Chandra Arya have already confirmed they will launch a bid, as has former MP Frank Baylis.
Reports also suggest that government House leader Karina Gould will announce her intention to run for Liberal leader.
Former B.C. premier Christy Clark, who had said she would consider a bid, confirmed on Tuesday that she will not be running.
Candidates have until Jan. 27 to apply to run, with the party electing its new leader on March 9.
