Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is gaining momentum in the Liberal leadership race as more senior ministers from Quebec and top party officials pledge their support.
With the vote set for March 9, Carney has secured endorsements from Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and Employment Minister Steve MacKinnon, both of whom represent Quebec ridings.
Their backing follows endorsements by Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Party insiders say winning Quebec, with its 78 ridings, is key to winning the Liberal leadership and the next federal election.
Carney’s main rival, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, has fewer prominent Quebec Liberal MPs; only Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier and former Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau support her.
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc is quietly throwing his support behind Carney, although he has not declared it publicly.
Meanwhile, Liberal Party chief fundraiser Stephen Bronfman has privately offered his support to Carney but is not raising money for him to avoid a conflict of interest.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, and Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan have also backed Carney.
Sajjan (Vancouver South) praised Carney’s leadership during the 2008 global financial crisis.
Junior ministers Kamal Khera and Ruby Sahota have also added their endorsements.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Housing Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who has not yet backed anyone, was asked why more cabinet ministers are siding with Carney instead of Freeland.
“People are grappling with what’s our best foot forward, and what’s our best foot forward in an election where you got Pierre Poilievre,” said Erskine-Smith.
“This is someone [Carney] who navigated, helped Canada navigate through the Great Recession … He’s someone who helped Britain navigate through the difficult and challenging political circumstances of Brexit.”
Freeland still has support from Health Minister Mark Holland, Justice Minister Arif Virani, and Citizens Services Minister Terry Beech.
Although not an MP, Carney plans to meet Liberal MPs off Parliament Hill on Thursday, when the Liberal caucus meets to discuss leadership rules and President Donald Trump’s threats of a 25% tariff.
What could really shake-up the Liberal leadership race is Michael Clark, who is a pro-life candidate and anti-globalist.
Clark believes the Liberal Party has gone too far to the left and needs to go back to being a centrist party.
Clark has raised the $350,000 fee and is now collecting the required signatures to submit his application.