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Who will replace Trudeau to become Liberal Party leader?

The top contenders are Chrystia Freeland, Mark Carney and Chandra Arya.

Justin Trudeau. / Reuters

“I want you to know a secret. Donald Trump does not like me very much,” says Chrystia Freeland, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, while launching her campaign as a front-runner in the race for Liberal Party leadership. She took to her social media handles and posted a video on her Facebook page to formally announce her candidature.

Former Governor of Bank of Canada Mark Carney also announced his arrival by launching his campaign from the lower Mainland in British Columbia where three MPs of South Asian descent – Sukh Dhaliwal, Parm Bains and RS Serai – endorsed his candidature.

Chandra Arya, another MP of South Asian descent, too, announced the completion of formalities to join the Liberal Party leadership.

“I am a tough negotiator,” says Chrystia Freeland recalling, “I fought hard during the first Trump administration. We fought hard to protect Canadian jobs, the Canadian economy and the way of our life, and we won.

“I left Trudeau Cabinet because I know what we need to do to win that fight again. Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies think they can push us over.

“Trump thinks he can take what is not his. We are not going to let him. We are a proud country, the true North, strong and free. A country of strong, caring and hardworking people. A country that gets big things done. A country worth fighting for.

“But Pierre Poilievre will bow down to Donald Trump and will sell us out.

“This moment matters for all of us. I am running for the leader of the Liberal Party and our next Prime Minister.

“I am in the fight for you, to fight for Canadians and fight for Canada.

“Join me and join the fight,” she said in her first campaign message.

Chandra Arya, who was the first to declare his candidature for the Liberal leadership, took to his social media handles and said: “I am running for the position of Prime Minister of Canada. Our nation faces structural challenges that require tough solutions. We must make bold decisions to secure prosperity for our children and grandchildren.

“Today, we submitted the $50,000 compliance deposit to the Liberal Party for the leadership contest (the deadline is Jan.23). We have received more than 1,000 endorsements (well above the required 300) from across Canada. Additionally, we have secured over 200 endorsements from each of these different provinces (exceeding the requirement of 100 endorsements per province).

Mark Carney travelled to British Columbia to launch his campaign. There, he had the instant support of three Liberal MPs as he went around the Lower Mainland, promising to restructure the Canadian economy.

Claiming to have worked closely with private and public sectors, Mark Carney told his supporters that he had been advising various governments, including those of Canada, Great Britain and France. The mainstay of his campaign, he said, would be to make the Canadian economy strong by working on “affordability”.

His supporters held he was not an outsider since he had worked with Justin Trudeau's government. They said the Conservative governments appointed him Governor of the Bank of England and subsequently of the Bank of Canada, which speaks volumes about his recognition as a financial wizard by all political leaders.

The Liberal Party is expected to announce the name of its new leader and Prime Minister on March 9.

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