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"When I found out this opportunity was possible, it was a very easy decision for me."
OTTAWA — Another minister rumoured to have been considering a run for the Liberal leadership has decided against it, saying there isn’t enough time for him to mount the kind of campaign he wants.
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said in a social media post Sunday that the leadership race needs diverse, experienced and pragmatic voices in both English and French.
And while he feels he could be that voice, the Gatineau MP says the length of the campaign for the leadership doesn’t fit with his plans.
The Liberal party has said the new leader will be announced March 9, leaving prospective candidates just eight weeks to make their case and sign up party members to vote for them. The party is working with a tight time frame because opposition parties intend to defeat the Liberal government the next chance they get in the House of Commons, which would plunge Canada into an election.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has prorogued Parliament until March 24, so the March 9 date gives the new Liberal leader two weeks to prepare for the House’s return and a national campaign.
MacKinnon said he will focus on his ministerial responsibilities and will listen closely to help make an informed choice around who should replace Trudeau.
“I admire all those who have considered, or are considering, entering the leadership race. Liberals across Canada have big expectations. It has been energizing for me to hear their voices,” MacKinnon wrote.
“It is the honour of my life to represent the people of Gatineau in the House of Commons, and I look forward to once again seeking their confidence.”
Trudeau announced in early January that he would resign his role as prime minister and Liberal party leader as soon as a replacement is chosen.
In an interview that aired Sunday on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Trudeau said his party’s low popularity relates to a global anti-incumbent sentiment.
“I think now we’re seeing a time in politics where emotions and social media is carrying an awful lot of weight in how people feel about things, but I’m always going to lean back on what are the substantive things that are being done,” Trudeau said.
He also blamed the “political right” for contributing to perceptions things are worse than they are, and said people are looking for quick fixes that aren’t necessarily possible outside the medium- and long-term.
Once a new leader is chosen, Trudeau said he’s “looking forward to resting.”
“My two older kids have about a year and a half left in high school before they go off to university. The idea of being there for them as an active dad, making lunches and being home when they get home from school is something that’s really, really exciting to me.”
So far, former Montreal MP Frank Baylis and Nepean, Ont., MP Chandra Arya have joined the race to replace Trudeau, while former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney signalled through his campaign team that he will launch a leadership bid late next week.
Other high-profile ministers in Trudeau’s cabinet who were speculated to seek the leadership have in recent days quashed the idea.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly took herself out of the running Friday, saying she’s not willing to leave her cabinet posting at a “crucial time” for Canada-U.S. relations.
“The reality is, I can’t do both,” she told reporters on Parliament Hill on Friday morning.
Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand announced Saturday that she, too, has declined to run and would also not seek reelection.
She said the joy of her work in politics delayed a planned return to academia, but now that Trudeau has decided to step aside she says it’s time for her to do so as well.
“I sincerely thank Prime Minister Trudeau for welcoming me on the Liberal team as a member of Parliament and for entrusting me in key cabinet portfolios,” she wrote in a statement on social media.
“I am truly grateful to the people of Oakville for selecting me to represent them in Canada’s House of Commons, and for being such a wonderful, welcoming community where my husband and I raised our four children over the past twenty years.”
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc also dashed the hopes of many of his caucus supporters last Wednesday by becoming the first potential cabinet aspirant to rule out a leadership bid.
Since his announcement, several MPs, including Judy Sgro, have tried to convince him to change his mind, but he has signalled his decision is firm.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2025.
Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press