Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney will run in the next general election regardless of the outcome of the race, according to his campaign team.
“Yes, Mark Carney is fully committed to running in the next general election. Mr. Carney is ready to lead the Liberal Party to victory in 2025 and to build the party for years to come,” campaign spokesperson Emily Williams said in a statement to CTV News on Friday.
Carney, who is the former Bank of Canada governor, has never held elected office and currently does not have a seat in the House of Commons. It is also not known yet which riding he will run in to represent.
When asked where he will run at his campaign launch last week in Edmonton, Carney said, “I will run as an MP somewhere, but I’m running for prime minister. I’m running for prime minister of all of Canada.”
During that launch, Carney also told reporters he would stay on as a Liberal leader if the party does not win the next general election to “build the Liberal Party for the long term.”
“I need to become an MP and I will be making a commitment to those constituents, to serve them whatever happens in the election,” Carney said.
On Friday, leadership hopeful Chrystia Freeland issued an open letter to other contenders – urging them to “make a pledge to run as a Liberal candidate in the next election and serve in the next Parliament – no matter the outcome of the leadership race.”
Freeland is also calling for four candidates’ debates – two in English and two in French.
“This is an important contest. We are choosing the next leader of the Liberal Party. That means that we’re choosing the next Prime Minister of Canada,” Freeland told reporters on Friday. “It’s really important to give all Canadians a chance to see the candidates in action, to hear what they have to say, to hear what they have to offer Canadians.”
So far, Carney is leading in the number of caucus endorsements, with a handful of senior cabinet ministers among those behind him, including Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan and Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu.
CTV News has also confirmed that Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is set to endorse Carney this weekend.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Arif Virani, International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Diane Lebouthillier, and Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech are among those backing former finance minister Freeland.
Thursday was the deadline for contenders to submit their applications to the party and pay the initial refundable $50,000 fee.
Former government House leader Karina Gould is also intending to run, along with Ontario Liberal MP Chandra Arya, first Indigenous candidate and Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste, and former MPs Frank Baylis and Ruby Dhalla.
The next major deadline in the race is Jan. 27, which is the cutoff date for those who want to cast a vote in this race to become a registered Liberal.
With files from CTV News’ Rachel Aiello
