Mark Carney launching his Liberal leadership bid from Alberta

OTTAWA — Mark Carney is set to unveil his Liberal leadership campaign this afternoon in Edmonton, ending nearly a decade of speculation about his political ambitions.

Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and government House leader Karina Gould are also expected to enter the race in the coming days.

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The cut-off date to declare a bid for the leadership is Jan. 23 and candidates have to pay a $350,000 entrance fee.

Liberals will elect their new leader and bring the Trudeau era to a close on March 9.

The former Bank of Canada governor will seek to position himself as an outsider and put some distance between himself and the deeply unpopular government of outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives will attempt to tie Carney to the Trudeau government’s sinking brand and attack him over his past support of carbon pricing and his recent work advising the Liberal party on economics.

For years, Poilievre has sharpened his attacks against Carney in anticipation of this moment, branding him as “carbon tax Carney” and more recently as “just like Justin.”

It’s not clear yet how Carney will approach the Trudeau government’s controversial carbon pricing system in the race.

In an interview on “The Daily Show” that racked up nearly 2 million views online, host Jon Stewart asked Carney if he’s stuck holding the “carbon tax bag.”

Carney replied that Canada needs to address climate change in a way that ensures “Canadians are not paying the price,” but he did not commit either way.

For years, Carney has been the subject of intense media speculation at home and abroad over his interest in the Liberal party leadership. He declined to run in 2013, when Trudeau decisively won the Liberal mantle and led the party to a majority government in the 2015 election.

Launching his campaign in Edmonton gives the 59-year-old a chance to put his Alberta roots on full display as Canadians get to know him.

An Edmonton Oilers fan, Carney grew up in the city’s west end and worked as a newspaper boy, according to a 2012 profile of him that ran in the Edmonton Journal.

Alberta could shape up to be an intense battleground between Carney and Freeland, who also grew up in the province.

While most voters in conservative-leaning Alberta are unlikely to help the Liberals avoid the political wilderness after Trudeau’s exit, the province will be a key target for leadership contenders shopping for support.

Under party rules, each of Canada’s 343 federal ridings is worth 100 points in the leadership race.

Martha Hall Findlay, who ran for the Liberal leadership against Trudeau but has long since left the party, said that means Liberals in Alberta ridings could play an outsized role in deciding who wins the leadership.

“Most Canadians don’t understand just how important it is that each one of the ridings has equal weight,” she said. “Watch both Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney playing up their Alberta roots big time, because the ridings out here are way less populated with Liberal members.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press