Former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will announce her intention to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party just before the US presidential inauguration, a source close to her campaign team says.
Freeland’s first political promise will be to impose dollar-for-dollar tariffs on U.S. imports to match the cost of the tariffs that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to impose on Canada.
Trump has promised to impose 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico on January 20, his inauguration day.
Freeland resigned from cabinet in December, days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed her that he would replace her as finance minister with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
In his resignation letter, he indicated that he had political disagreements with Trudeau, including over the GST holiday, which he referred to as a political gimmick that the country could not afford.
The Liberals will elect their new leader on March 9.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.
