Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney announced on Thursday that he was running to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the ruling Liberal Party, saying he wanted to focus on the struggling economy.
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Carney, 59, launched his bid at an event in the western city of Edmonton, casting himself as an outsider who was not part of Trudeau’s unpopular government.
Trudeau announced his resignation this month amid unhappiness among legislators alarmed by the party’s poor polling numbers ahead of an election this year.
Trudeau, who took office in November 2015, will stay on until his replacement is named on March 9.
Carney’s main rival looks to be former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, whose resignation last month over policy differences led to Trudeau’s decision to quit.
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The new prime minister is unlikely to be in office for long. The minority government could be toppled in parliament as soon as the end of March, triggering an election that polls indicate the official opposition Conservatives will win.
