Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly will not run for the Liberal leadership.
Until now, Joly was widely considered a potential successor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who recently announced he would step down as leader of the Liberal Party.
In a brief statement on
Over the past week, I have spoken to dozens of friends, colleagues, and close advisors; many of whom have encouraged me to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada,” his post reads.
“As Minister of Foreign Affairs, I must dedicate every minute of my time and all my energy to defending the interests of Canadians. Which is exactly what I am doing and will continue to do.”
When will the liberals elect a leader?
The Liberals are preparing to elect a new leader by March 9, and anyone who wants to run must announce their candidacy by Jan. 23 and pay a $350,000 entry fee, a significant jump from the previous fee of $75,000.
On Monday, Trudeau announced he would resign from office, citing battles within the party.
Earlier this week, veteran Liberal MP and cabinet member Dominic LeBlanc also said he would not run for the party leadership.
Other long-serving cabinet ministers, including former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Employment Minister Steven MacKinnon and Transport and Domestic Trade Minister Anita Anand, are also in the list of possible contenders to replace the leader.
More details to come.
With files from CTV News senior political correspondent Vassy Kapelos
