Who might replace Trudeau as Liberal Party leader?

Justin Trudeau’s nine years as Canada’s prime minister are coming to an end after he announced that he will step down as leader of the ruling Liberal Party.

It means that his party must now find a new leader to contest the election which the polls show that he wants to lose.

Here are some of the candidates expected to enter the Liberal leadership race.

The Toronto member of parliament is seen as one of the main contenders to replace the outgoing leader and has become one of the most prominent members of Trudeau’s team.

Although he was long seen as a trusted chief among them, disagreements with the Prime Minister’s office led to his recent resignation in December.

His criticism of Trudeau in his resignation letter forced him and made his departure seem inevitable.

Born to a Ukrainian mother in western Alberta, the 56-year-old was a journalist before entering politics.

He entered the House of Commons in 2013 and two years later joined Trudeau’s cabinet with a business brief after sweeping the party.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs he helped Canada renegotiate free trade agreements with the US and Mexico.

She was later named deputy prime minister and finance minister — the first woman to hold the job — and oversees Canada’s financial response to the Covid pandemic.

After resigning last month, he accused Trudeau of not being strong enough to deal with Donald Trump’s threat to impose US tariffs on Canadian goods.

A 2019 Globe and Mail profile said that depending on who you ask, Freeland is either the world’s last, best hope for freedom or an outsider.

His unwavering support for Ukraine has been praised in some quarters but the Harvard-educated MP has had his critics, including Mr Trump who recently called him “poisonous”.

Trudeau himself admitted that he has been trying to recruit Mark Carney to his team, most recently as finance minister.

“He would be a great addition at a time when Canadians need good people to enter politics,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a Nato summit in July 2024.

Carney, 59, who has been working in recent months as a special adviser to Trudeau, has been seen as a contender for the top job.

The Harvard graduate has never held public office but has a strong financial background, serving at the top of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England.

He also brings environmental expertise through his role as the United Nations special envoy for climate change, recently calling the goal of net zero “the biggest business opportunity of our time”.

Carney is a champion of some Liberal policies that have become unpopular in the country’s political circles, such as carbon tax legislation, the party’s climate policy that critics argue is an economic burden for Canadians.

He also criticized Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, saying that his vision for the future of the country is “without a plan” and “words”.

“I am in the discussion that I have been doing business, who is doing business, and making decisions,” he said.

Anand is often cited as one of the most influential members of the Liberal caucus.

The 57-year-old lawyer entered politics in 2019 when he was elected to represent riders in Oakville, outside Toronto.

An Oxford-educated professional, he has a background in financial market management and business leadership.

At the same time, he was given the brief of the Ministry of Public Works and Procurement, putting him in charge of securing vaccines and personal protective equipment during the Covid pandemic.

Anand was appointed defense minister in 2021, leading Canada’s efforts to help Ukraine in its war against Russia and overseeing the Canadian Armed Forces personnel crisis that has faced sexual threats.

When Anand was removed from the department to oversee the Treasury Board, many saw it as a step down and Trudeau’s critics went so far as to say it was punishment for his ambitions to one day lead the party.

In December, he was also moved in a cabinet reshuffle, becoming the Minister of Transport and Minister of Internal Trade.

The former businessman and international business expert is another Liberal minister said to be eyeing the party’s top job.

But his journey to the big places was less than Anand’s.

Champagne, 54, joined the Commons in 2015 but has since moved through trade, foreign affairs and most recently the department for innovation, science and industry.

But there are several things in his favor. Champagne is from Quebec, a province whose voice is often used in Canada’s federal elections.

He is also called “Canada’s Energizer Bunny” by some experts, who saw his interest as he traveled the world under his creative genius with the aim of selling everything made in Canada.

And because of his business acumen, political observers see him as a good way to lure the Liberals back into the fold.

Like Trudeau, Joly represents the rise of Montreal.

For foreign leaders, the 45-year-old is a well-known figure, having represented Canada in the world since 2021.

As the current foreign minister, he has made several trips to Ukraine to show Canada’s support. He went to Jordan to support the deportation of Canadian citizens from the region when the Israel-Hamas war began.

Joly has also been at the heart of the government’s other major foreign policy issues, including the financial crisis sparked by the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil by Indian agents.

The Oxford-educated lawyer is a well-connected politician who once served as mayor of Montreal.

He was appointed by Trudeau himself for political work.

“From time to time they call me, ‘Mélanie you have to run, we want you to run,'” Joly said.

Senior advisers praised his ability to work in a room of seven or 700 people, and he has been keen to run for Liberal party leader, close friends told Canadian magazine Macleans.

LeBlanc, 57, is one of Trudeau’s closest allies and most trusted.

Their friendship runs deep, with LeBlanc taking care of Trudeau’s children and siblings when they are young.

He has a history of stepping into office at difficult times, including becoming finance minister just hours after Freeland resigned.

LeBlanc also had the difficult task of accompanying Trudeau to Mar-a-Lago in November to meet Trump.

The former lawyer has been a member of parliament for more than two decades, having first been elected in 2000 to represent New Brunswick’s Atlantic riding.

Like Trudeau, LeBlanc was born into a political family. His father served as a minister in the cabinet of Trudeau’s father, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and later became the governor of Canada.

LeBlanc has previously expressed his ambitions to lead the party, which he ran for in 2008 but lost to Michael Ignatieff. He did not run again in the next presidential race, which Trudeau won.

He is in remission after cancer treatment and is known for his love and strong political voice.

British Columbia’s former premier has expressed interest in throwing his hat into the Liberal leadership ring.

In a statement in October, he said he “wants to be a part of the future of the Liberal party and the country” if Trudeau steps down.

Clark, 59, served as Canada’s westernmost provincial leader from 2011 to 2017, where he built a reputation for balancing environmental needs while developing B.C.’s energy industry.

He has repeatedly said over the past few years that Trudeau has become a drag on the federal Liberals.

He is also reportedly taking French lessons, according to Radio-Canada. Fluency in French is considered a political requirement in Canada.