The race is underway to replace Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Favorites to lead Trudeau’s liberal party, including internationally recognized Chrystia Freland and Mark Carney, are arguing that they can guide Canada on various national and international issues, including growing commercial tensions with the United States.
After a series of political crises last year, Trudeau announced in January that he would resign the position of liberal leader as soon as his replacement was chosen-and would eventually deliver the position of Prime Minister after completing the transition to his successor.
This Sunday (9), liberals finally count the votes and announce their new leader. The dispute takes place as Canada prepares for a general election by the end of the year.
Why is Trudeau waking up?
Trudeau led the party for over a decade. He led liberals to power in 2015, promising “sunny paths” to Canada and was elected twice more since, more recently in 2021, when he remained in power, but lost mostly ruler.
He defended progressive issues such as the fight against climate change and the confrontation of historical abuse against indigenous peoples, but the last years of his mandate were marked by growing economic discontent. Her administration was also shaken last year for the surprise resignation of Freeland, who was then vice-minister and minister of finance, a few hours before she delivers the country’s fiscal balance.
Trudeau is leaving office before a major challenge to the liberal party government, with general elections expected for October. Liberals have had bad results in research against their conservative rivals, led by the right -wing incendiary Pierre Poilievre. But in recent weeks, opposition leadership has diminished as Trudeau’s potential successors, such as Carney, assume strong and public positions on commercial dispute with the United States.
Although Trudeau leaves the position of liberal leader after Sunday’s vote, he did not give an exact date to resign from power as Prime Minister. The next liberal prime minister may request new federal elections in days, weeks or months.
Canada under the aim of Trump
Relations with the US soured under the Trump administration. In the last three months, US President Donald Trump has blamed Canada for illegal immigration to the US, threatened Canada into the 51st US state and imposed high channel imports, which the White House says it is necessary to contain the flow of fentanil to the United States.
The public clash between Trump and Trudeau galvanized feelings of nationalism among some Canadians; In National Hockey League and NBA games in Canada, fans even booed the US National Anthem. Transfronist tensions may also have given the liberal party a little, as conservative leader Poilievre-who has already been compared to Trump-seeks to distance himself from the US leader, reiterating at a press conference on Tuesday that he “is not Maga.”
“Canadian politics is being convulsed by the Trump government’s statements about the future of Canada as he saw him and, secondly, the tariffs that were very intriguing for many people, given the depth of interdependence between Canadian and American economies,” Allan Tupper, professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, told the University of Columbia, to CNN .
Whoever assumes Trudeau’s cloak will have to be a hard negotiator, “particularly in tariffs,” Tupper added. “It can be a different type of Canada to deal with, it will be more assertive, more nationalist and more responsible for your destination.”
Who are the main candidates?
Mark Carnery: Among the favorites of the race is Carry, former governor of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada. Based on his experience in finance, Carry has made clean energy, climate policies and economic prosperity to Canada some of the central facets of his campaign.
By launching his campaign, Carry highlighted his role in helping the Canadian government deal with its debt during the 2008 financial crisis and its role in conducting the British economy through Brexit. He also asked to bring economic prosperity to Canada with the help of his natural resources and make Canada a clean energy leader.
Experts say Carry has received support from Liberal Legislators and even Trudeau’s Office, and his economy experience can make him the man of the moment.
“He is very competent in economics, so with these tariffs, this economic war, many people are supporting him,” said Charles-Etienne Beaudy, professor of political science at the University of Ottawa.
Carney, like other candidates, did not dodge questions about how to deal with the Trump government, telling CNN In February, despite being “insulted on several occasions by senior members of the government. Let’s not return these insults. ”
Since US tariffs were announced last month, Carney has been a declared defender of dollar dollar retaliatory tariffs that would hardly hit the US, but would have a minimal impact on Canada.
Chrystia Freeland: The former journalist, who is the other favorite in Sunday’s vote, became one of the best known members of Trudeau’s office before resigning.
Daughter of Ukrainian mother in the western province of Alberta, Freeland studied at Harvard University before working as a journalist covering Russia and Ukraine for several years. She entered politics in 2013, climbing the liberal party hierarchy and gaining several positions in the cabinet under the administration of Trudeau.
Notably, she has dealt with Trump about trade before. As Foreign Minister in 2018, she helped Canada renegotiate the free trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico, which Trump indicated that she wants to renegotiate once again. She also got involved in high -level conflicts with the US during the first Trump government about her decision to impose tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum imports. Since then, she has become a personal target of Trump, who criticized her as “totally toxic and nothing likely to make agreements.”
A former faithful ally of Trudeau, Freeland’s resignation in December marked the beginning of the collapse of the Trudeau government.
In the election campaign, Freeland implied that he would adopt a harder line over immigration and defended a hard approach to the US with directed retaliatory tariffs.
Karina Gould: Gould is the youngest woman to serve as a minister in the country. She called herself “part of a generational change” in Canada by launching her campaign in January, noting that the liberal party “needs to embrace this change as well.”
Gould also proposed an increase in corporate taxes on large companies that earn more than $ 500 million per year to encourage them to reinvest in business and productivity, or face an increase in corporate tax.
Gould made it clear that his priority, if elected, is to address Canada’s commercial dispute with the US before convening general elections. Like the other candidates, Gould defended a hard line with Trump.
Frank Baylis: Montreal’s businessman served as a parliamentarian from 2015 to 2019. In February, he revealed a proposal to create two pipelines that would carry natural gas to international markets in Europe and Asia to reduce dependence on the United States.
The businessman warned against Canada’s economy to be “so dependent on a country” and emphasized the need to diversify business partners.
Baylis criticized Trudeau for his negotiations with US President Donald Trump and said the Prime Minister and the Prime Ministers made “errors” with the US President, including traveling to Mar-lag in November to meet Trump. Baylis told The Canadian Press last month: “Anyone who has already dealt with a successful bully knows that you don’t give a centimeter.”
This content was originally published in Liberals choose Next Premie from Canada this Sunday on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
