Mark Carney has made it official.
The former Bank of Canada government announced in Edmonton his bid to become leader of the federal Liberal Party.
He becomes the first to enter the race to replace Justin Trudeau.
“I’m here to ask for your support. I’m here to earn your trust to lead that fight. I’m back home in Edmonton to declare my candidacy for leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada,” says Carney.
Carney sees himself as an outsider, having no political experience but plenty of experience to do the job with his former roles with the Bank of Canada and Bank of England.
“I don’t do a little leak. I don’t do a soundbite. I do a comprehensive plan that addresses all the aspects, and you’ll see that in the coming weeks.”
The economy, though, is at the forefront of his priorities.
“We can’t redistribute what we don’t have, and we can’t support the vulnerable in our society or defend this great country if we have a weak economy. I’m here to build the strongest economy for all Canadians together.”
“Canada needs change, but not just any change. We need change that works for people, and we’ve never needed it more.”
Carney warned against Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, calling his ideas bad, naive and dangerous for Canada.
“In the UK, I saw firsthand what happened there after years of Conservatives shouting that their country was broken. Conservatives don’t run around saying Canada is broken because they want to fix it. They want a license to demolish and destroy, including many of the things on which we all and regular people depend.”
Carney also questioned Poilievre’s ability to negotiate with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.
Carney is expected to be joined in the race by former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
She is expected to make an announcement next week.
The Liberals plan to pick the name their new leader on March 9th.
