Who are the candidates to become Canada’s next prime minister?
Canada is set for a new prime minister as the ruling Liberal Party prepares to announce Justin Trudeau’s replacement as leader.
Mr Trudeau, who has been prime minister since 2015, announced he was stepping down in January after facing calls to quit from a chorus of his own MPs.
The 53-year-old’s popularity had declined as food and house prices rose.
The Liberal Party will announce its new leader tonight following a vote by around 140,000 members.
A former Bank of England governor has emerged as the frontrunner as the country deals with the impacts of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
The next prime minister will also have to decide when to call a general election – which must be held on or before 20 October.
As the Liberal Party prepares to choose its new leader, we take a look at the candidates.
Mark Carney
Mark Carney addresses supporters in Alberta in March. Pic: AP
The 59-year-old will be a familiar face to many in the UK as he served as governor of the Bank of England between 2013 and 2020.
He was formerly the head of Canada’s central bank and was praised after the country recovered from the 2008 financial crisis faster than many other countries.
Mr Carney has picked up one endorsement after another from cabinet ministers and MPs since he declared his candidacy in January.
He did not serve in Mr Trudeau’s government but was named as the chair of a government task force on economic growth last September.
Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Mr Carney’s calm demeanour and outstanding resume make him a reassuring figure to many Canadians at a time when Mr Trump is “going after their country’s economy and sovereignty”.
Read more:
Trudeau steps down with his popularity in shreds
Canadian PM criticises Trump over tariffs
Chrystia Freeland
Chrystia Freeland speaks during the Liberal leadership debate in Montreal in February. Pic: AP
Ms Freeland, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister of Canada, was leading in the polls to replace Mr Trudeau shortly after he announced his resignation.
However, her long association with the outgoing prime minister and the threat of Mr Trump’s tariffs have since tipped things in Mr Carney’s favour.
The 56-year-old was born in the west Canadian province of Alberta to a Ukrainian mother.
Before entering politics in 2013, Ms Freeland worked as a journalist covering Russia and Ukraine for several years.
Mr Trudeau told Ms Freeland that he no longer wanted her as finance minister in December but that she could remain deputy prime minister and the point person for US-Canada relations.
She stepped down shortly after and released a scathing letter about the government which increased pressure on Mr Trudeau ahead of his resignation.
Karina Gould
Karina Gould speaks during the Liberal Party leadership debate in Montreal in February. Pic: AP
Ms Gould is the youngest woman to serve as a minister in Canada and has advocated for a tough stance on Mr Trump.
The 37-year-old, who has served as minister of democratic institutions and minister of international development, has previously branded herself as part of a “generational shift” and said the Liberal Party “needs to embrace this shift too”.
Ms Gould has reportedly proposed an increase in corporate taxes on large companies earning more than CAN$500m (£270m) a year to encourage them to reinvest in business and productivity.
She was serving as house leader until January 2025 when she left the cabinet to run for party leader.
Frank Baylis
Frank Baylis during the Liberal Leadership debate in Montreal in February. Pic: AP
Mr Baylis, a businessman from Montreal, served as a Liberal Party politician between 2015 and 2019.
The 62-year-old has reportedly proposed creating two pipelines that would transport natural gas to international markets in Europe and Asia to reduce dependence on America.
Mr Baylis criticised Mr Trudeau for travelling to meet Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in November.
He said: “Anybody’s that ever dealt with a bully successfully know you don’t give an inch.”
What’s next for Canada?
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‘You can’t take our country or our game’
The new leader of the Liberal Party is expected to call a general election shortly after they take up the role.
After decades of bilateral stability, Canada’s next election is expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with the United States.
Mr Trump’s trade war and his talk of making the country the 51st state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games.
Some are cancelling trips south and many are avoiding buying American goods when they can.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, has embraced a populist approach not unlike Mr Trump’s.
He attacks the mainstream media and has vowed to put “Canada First”.
Before Mr Trump’s inauguration, the Conservatives were widely expected to win the country’s next election.
However, the US president’s threats against Canada have led to a surge in popularity for the Liberal Party in the polls.
The fast-moving developments on Trump’s Ukraine peace deal are dominating the G20 summit in South Africa, as European leaders scramble to put together a counter-proposal to the US-Russia 28-point plan and reinsert Ukraine into these discussions.
European countries are now working up proposals to put to President Trump ahead of his deadline of Thursday to agree a deal.
Ukraine is in a tight spot. It cannot reject Washington outright – it relies on US military support to continue this war – but neither can it accept the terms of a deal that is acutely favourable to Russia, requiring Ukraine to give up territory not even occupied by Moscow and reducing its army.
Overnight, the UK government has reiterated its position that any deal must deliver a “just and lasting peace”.
Ukraine war latest: Kyiv to discuss ending war in talks in Switzerland
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Keir Starmer calls for growth plan at G20
The prime minister, who spoke with E3 allies President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on the phone on Friday, is having more conversations today with key partners as they work out how to handle Trump and improve this deal for Ukraine.
One diplomatic source told me allies are being very careful not to criticise Trump or his approach for fear of exacerbating an already delicate situation.
Instead, the prime minister is directing his attacks at Russia.
Read more:
Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan in full
Analysis: We could all pay if Europe doesn’t guarantee Ukraine’s security
Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a plenary session on the first day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Pic: Reuters
“There is only one country around the G20 table that is not calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and one country that is deploying a barrage of drones and missiles to destroy livelihoods and murder innocent civilians,” he said on Friday evening.
“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but its actions never live up to its words.”
Pic: AP
On the Trump plan, the prime minister said allies are meetin on Saturday “to discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of Trump’s push for peace, look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations”.
Strengthening the plan really means that they want to rebalance it towards Ukraine’s position and make it tougher on Russia.
“Ukraine has been ready to negotiate for months, while Russia has stalled and continued its murderous rampage. That is why we must all work together with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just and lasting peace once and for all,” said the prime minister.
“We will continue to coordinate closely with Washington and Kyiv to achieve that. However, we cannot simply wait for peace.
“We must strain every sinew to secure it. We must cut off Putin’s finance flows by ending our reliance on Russian gas. It won’t be easy, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Pic: AP
Europeans hadn’t even seen this deal earlier in the week, in a sign that the US is cutting other allies out of negotiations – for now at least.
Starmer and other European leaders want to get to a position where Ukraine and Europe are at least at the table.
There is some discussion about whether European leaders such as Macron and Meloni might travel to Washington to speak to Trump early next week in order to persuade him of the European and Ukrainian perspective, as leaders did last August following the US-Russian summit in Alaska.
But Sky News understands there are no discussions about the PM travelling to Washington next week ahead of the budget.
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