Weekend announcements narrow field of high-profile Liberal leadership prospects

Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney signalled through his campaign team that he'll launch a bid to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Liberal party leader. Carney, who has served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, speaks at the Sustainable Finance conference on Thursday Nov. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

As a race to elect a new Liberal leader quickly approaches, a high-profile candidate appears set to throw their hat into the ring.

Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is expected to launch his bid to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after signalling plans through his campaign team.

Former B.C. premier Christy Clark has said she is also debating whether to put her name forward, telling CBC Radio's "The House" she was "very seriously" considering it last week, but that she was disappointed with the short timeline for the race.

Several high-profile cabinet ministers have announced they will not run, including Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon and Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand, who each bowed out over the weekend.

They joined Finance Minister Dominic Leblanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to say they planned to focus on their portfolios instead.

Hopefuls have until Jan. 23 to declare their candidacy, and the new leader will be announced March 9.

So far, former Montreal MP Frank Baylis and Nepean, Ont., MP Chandra Arya are the only ones to publicly state they intend to run for the job.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2024.