Canada: Liberal Party to choose new leader today, who's running to replace Trude

After months of speculation and antiincumbency Canadas Liberal Party will announce its new leader today replacing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who will lead the party in the general elections scheduled later this yearThe person who the Liberal Party would assume office as Canadas PM after being sworn in by the Governor General The development not only reflects a new chapter for the Liberal Party but could also imply the imminent beginning of a federal election as reported by CBC NewsThe leadership race began in Canadas Liberal Party after Trudeau in early January announced his intention to step down after a mounting caucus revolt and the resignation of Freeland from cabinetAt the time the Liberal Party was behind Pierre Poilievres Conservatives by over 20 points Recent polling has indicated that Liberals are bouncing back Whoever secures a win will face pressure to sustain that momentum according to CBC NewsNotably after the Liberals trailed for months behind the opposition Conservative Party by a wide margin recent polls show the Liberals are now riding a wave of political momentum in part due to Trudeaus resignation and fears of a trade war with Washington according to Al Jazeera The federal election must be held by October 20 but it could be called soonerTrudeau led the party for over a decade Leading the Liberals to power in 2015 promising sunny ways for Canada Trudeau was elected two more times since then most recently in 2021 when he remained in power but lost his governing majorityHe championed progressive issues like combating climate change and addressing historic abuses against Indigenous peoples but the latter years of his premiership have been marked by rising economic discontent His administration was also rocked last year by the surprise resignation of Freeland who was then deputy prime minister and finance minister just hours before she was due to deliver her annual fiscal update as reported by CNNHowever throughout the campaign candidates have moved away from policies implemented by Trudeau like the carbon tax and changes to the capital gains tax while putting their own spin on how to handle the housing crisis and make life more affordable for the people of CanadaAfter nearly two months of campaign and two debates thousands of registered Liberals will now take a decision on the party leader Eligible voters have been able to vote for over a week and have until 3 pm ET to cast their ballot CBC News reportedThose in the leadership race are former central banker Mark Carney former finance minister Chrystia Freeland former House leader and current MP Karina Gould and Montreal business leader and former MP Frank Baylis as reported by CBC News Carney 59 who is being considered the frontrunner by many has tried to portray himself as a political outsider putting distance between himself and the widely unpopular TrudeauThe economist previously served as governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England and he acted as an economic adviser to Trudeaus government He also served as a United Nations special envoy on climate action and finance as reported by Al JazeeraAnother big name in the race is Chrystia Freeland who has been a key member of Trudeaus inner circle Since then she has held various highprofile government portfolios including as deputy prime minister and finance ministerIn a surprise move Freeland resigned from Trudeaus cabinet saying she and Trudeau were at odds about the best path forward for Canada in the face of a threat from Trump to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods This setback played a huge role in Trudeau finally deciding to step downKarina Gould the 37yearold MP from Burlington Ontario has held various positions within the Liberal government since she was elected to Parliament in 2015Over her time in office she has served as the minister of democratic institutions minister for international development and minister of families children and social development In the latter role she helped implement a national childcare programme that cut daycare costs for CanadiansFrank Baylis the other candidate in the race was elected to the House of Commons in the Montrealarea riding of PierrefondsDollard in 2015 He held the seat until the next election in 2019 when he chose not to run againAn entrepreneur he also has touted his business experience over the past decades and said he intends to help tackle Canadas affordability crisis The leadership contest comes in the backdrop of the ongoing tariff row between Washington and Ottawa Relations with the US have soured under the Trump administration as reported by CNNThe past three months have seen US President Donald Trump blame Canada for illegal immigration into the US threaten to turn Canada into the USs 51st state and impose steep tariffs on Canadian imports which the White House says is necessary to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United StatesAs a result Canadas internal issues have been overshadowed by the threat posed by US President Donald Trump The race for Liberal Party leader largely became a question of who would be best able to handle Trumps tariffs and threats as per CBC NewsOne of the first questions for the new leader will be whether they plan to immediately trigger an election or wait till parliament returns on March 24 The event on Sunday local time is being held in Ottawa where Trudeau and Canadas former PM Jean Chretien are slated to address the crowdA few days back Trudeau announced he expects the transition to his successor to happen in the coming days or week The Liberal Party has restricted voting to Canadians and permanent residents over foreign interference concernsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute 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