Mark Carney, the former head of the Bank of Canada, has officially entered the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Leader of the ruling Liberal Party.

Carney kicked off his campaign to lead the party at a rally in Edmonton, the capital of the western Canadian province of Alberta, on Thursday afternoon.

“I returned to my home in Edmonton to announce my candidacy for leadership of the Liberal Party and prime minister of Canada,” Carney said, surrounded by his supporters and Liberal lawmakers.

The 59-year-old is considered one of the front-runners in the race to replace Trudeau. He previously served as Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013, before assuming the presidency of the Bank of England until 2020.

Trudeau, who announced it Step down He will remain in office in early January amid mounting pressure and declining public support until the party chooses his successor in early March.

The Liberals hope the new leader will help boost their chances before the election, which must be held before late October.

Recent polls on the upcoming election show the opposition Conservatives leading by more than 20 percentage points over the Liberals, who have faced growing anger as many Canadians face an affordability crisis.

The government was also liberal Under pressure To ward off US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose high 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods when the Republican leader takes office next week.

Carney, who tried to present himself as an outsider on the political scene, said on Thursday that his bid to lead the country comes at a critical moment for the country.

“Many are falling behind. Many young people cannot afford a home. Many people cannot find a doctor,” he said.

“And beyond that…in just four days, the United States will swear in Donald Trump as its 47th president, a man who threatens the economic power of its closest and most steadfast allies, including Canada.”

He also criticized Carney Pierre Poilievrehead of the Conservative Party, is widely expected to become the country’s next prime minister after elections are held this year.

“‘Canada is broken’ was one of Pierre Poilievre’s many three-word slogans, and it couldn’t be more dangerous than that,” Carney said.

“Conservatives don’t run around saying Canada is broken because they want to fix it. They want a license to tear down and destroy,” he continued. “Their three-word soundbites won’t solve the problems, but they will hurt ordinary people.”

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

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

Poilievre brought up the topic in response to Carney’s announcement on Thursday, once again linking the Liberal leader to Trudeau’s unpopular government, as well as the left-wing New Democratic Party.

“Carbon tax, Carney backed the LNP tax hike on gas and heat [and] Grocery” Boilivre books On social media platform X on Thursday. “Just. Likes. Justin.”

Conservatives also rejected the idea that Carney was an outsider, pointing out that statement He worked as an economic advisor to the Liberal government under Trudeau.

“As a long-time liberal insider… Tax Carney is the furthest possible thing from an outsider,” the party said. “It’s clear that Carney and the Liberals will say anything to try to seize power. But they can’t be trusted.”

Carney supported the NDP’s carbon tax hike on gas, heat and groceries, quadrupling that tax to $0.61 per litre.

only. He loves. Justin. pic.twitter.com/MEWQdQKPwb

– Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 16, 2025

The Liberal Party will choose its new leader – and therefore the next prime minister – on March 9, just weeks before Parliament reconvenes on March 24.

It is unclear how long the new prime minister will remain in this high position.

The Conservatives and other opposition parties said they intended to submit a motion of no confidence in the Liberal government, which would trigger an election.

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

But the competition is widely expected to be limited to Carney and Canada’s former finance minister Chrystia Freelanda longtime Trudeau ally who resigned from his government in late December.

Freeland, who has not yet formally announced her campaign, resigned over what she said was a disagreement with Trudeau over how to handle Trump’s looming threat of tariffs.

She teased her leadership bid in a social media post on Wednesday, saying she “will have a lot to say very soon!”.

Fifth cup of tea and the calls don’t stop – grateful for the opportunity to hear from you and hear your thoughts fellow Liberals!

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

— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) January 15, 2025