Carney ‘considering’ entering race to replace Canada’s Trudeau

Whoever succeeds Trudeau in Canada could face an immediate test. The country must have its next federal election by October, but it is considered likely that a vote will be called before that. The opposition Conservative Party, led by Pierre Poilievre, currently enjoy a double-digit lead in the opinion polls.

Trudeau himself recently admitted that he had long been trying to recruit Mr Carney to his team, most recently as finance minister. “He would be an outstanding addition at a time when Canadians need good people to step up in politics,” he said last year.

Mr Carney would also bring expertise on environmental matters through his role as the United Nations special envoy on climate action, recently calling the goal of net zero “the greatest commercial opportunity of our time”.

He is a champion of some Liberal policies that have been unpopular within the country’s conservative circles like the federal carbon tax policy, the party’s signature climate policy that critics argue is a financial burden for Canadians.

He has also been critical Poilievre, saying the Conservative leader’s vision for the future of the country is “without a plan” and “just slogans”.

Other candidates believed to be credible replacements for Trudeau include his former deputy Chrystia Freeland, who resigned from the cabinet after a rift with the prime minister’s office in December, and Transport Minister Anita Anand, a lawyer who was elected in 2019.