One of seven Liberal leadership hopefuls says the party is not allowing him to run, while another senior minister has endorsed Mark Carney.
Ontario MP Chandra Arya says the Liberal party is informing him he is out of the running to be its next leader.
Arya, who was the first to announce his candidacy to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said he is waiting for official communication from the Liberals and is considering his next steps.
“This decision raises important questions about the legitimacy of racial leadership and, by extension, the legitimacy of Canada’s next Prime Minister,” Arya said in a social media statement on Sunday.
He did not elaborate on his concerns or provide reasons the party gave for denying his candidacy.
Liberal Party representatives did not immediately respond to questions Sunday afternoon.
Arya was one of seven people who submitted paperwork and a $50,000 refundable deposit last week to enter the race.
Former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney are widely seen as the horses.
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Former head of government Karina Gould, MP Jaime Battiste and former MP Ruby Dhalla and Frank Baylis have also submitted the paperwork to enter the race. The party has up to 10 days to approve the candidates.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne was the latest Cabinet minister to endorse Carney as the couple campaigned at Champagne’s home in Saint-Maurice – Champlain on Sunday.
“We have the same economic vision,” Champagne told reporters in French at a dairy farm in St-Tite, Quebec.
He referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs, saying the country faces unprecedented times.
Champagne also said he wants to defend the French language and that it is important for the party’s next leader to speak both official languages.
None of the Liberal leadership candidates are French-speaking, and Quebec’s 78 seats in the House of Commons are essential to winning a federal election.
Arya made headlines early in the race for saying he doesn’t speak French and suggesting in an interview with the CBC that he didn’t think it was important to Quebecers that the Prime Minister spoke French. language.
Carney gained the support of several high-profile Liberals in the province, including Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Labor Minister Steven Mackinnon and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Carney’s list of cabinet mentions also includes Defense Minister Bill Blair, Transport Minister Anita Anand and Housing Minister Nate Erskine-Smith.
On Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre shared an open letter to Carney on social media, saying the Liberals are running a leadership race because “Canadians are done with Justin Trudeau” and his government. Poilievre challenged Carney to pledge to “ban any previous Trudeau minister from serving in (his) cabinet” if he won the leadership contest.
Asked about Poilievre’s comments, Carney said he believed Canadians and Quebecers wanted change.
“They want us to focus on the economy,” he said in French. “There will be a change with my government.”
Carney also said he would “100%” run as a Liberal candidate in the next election, regardless of the outcome of the leadership race.
That was one of the demands of Freeland, who released an open letter to candidates Friday asking them to commit to running in the next election and holding four leadership debates, two in each official language, as soon as possible.
Freeland is also expected to make a pitch to French-speaking voters on Sunday, when she is expected to appear on the popular Canadian talk show “Tout Le Monde en Parle.”
The former finance minister benefits from a number of her Caucus colleagues, including Health Minister Mark Holland, Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier and Justice Minister Arif Virani.
The deadline to register to vote in the leadership competition is Monday. Applicants must submit their full $350,000 registration fee by February 17.
The Liberals are expected to choose the party’s next leader on March 9.
This Canadian Press report was first published January 26, 2025.
& Copy 2025 The Canadian Press