Canada’s Liberal Party looked set Sunday to choose a former central banker and political novice as its next leader, replacing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as it confronts threats from US President Donald Trump.
Mark Carney, who served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, is widely expected to be named the new Liberal leader when results from a vote of around 400,000 party members are announced later Sunday.
The other main challenger is Trudeau’s former deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, who held several senior cabinet positions in the Liberal government that was first elected in 2015.
Whoever wins the vote will take over from Trudeau as prime minister, but will soon face a general election that polls currently show the rival Conservative Party as slight favorites to win.
Carney has racked up endorsements, including from much of Trudeau’s cabinet, and a Freeland win would be a shock for the Liberals as they head towards a general election.
Carney and Freeland have both maintained that they are the best candidate to defend Canada against Trump’s attacks.
Carney has argued that he is a seasoned economic manager, reminding voters that he led the Bank of Canada through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and steered the Bank of England through the turbulence that followed the 2016 Brexit vote.
Trump “is attacking what we build. He is attacking what we sell. He is attacking how we earn our living,” Carney told supporters at a closing campaign rally near Toronto on Friday.
“We are facing the most serious crisis in our lifetime,” he added. “Everything in my life has prepared me for this moment.”
