Backbench Ottawa MP Chandra Arya to run for Liberal leadership

OTTAWA — Ontario MP Chandra Arya is the second Liberal to announce he wants to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal party.

Arya posted on social media Thursday morning he wants to campaign on running a "small, more efficient government" and on offering "bold political decisions" to solve the country's problems.

"My policies are not sweet policies, they're bitter medicine," he said in an interview.

Arya said he believes the party should ditch its hallmark carbon pricing policy and said it's also time for Canada to move away from the monarchy.

"This is an old concept that we have to swear allegiance to a king somewhere out there." he said.

Arya and former Montreal MP and businessman Frank Baylis are the only two declared candidates in the race so far.

Higher-profile Liberals said to be considering leadership bids include former central banker Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and former B.C. premier Christy Clark.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre moved Thursday to cast those likely candidates as clones of the outgoing prime minister, saying they've supported hallmark Liberal policies like carbon pricing.

"In the next election, I will be running against Justin Trudeau, whether his name is Justin Trudeau or his name is Chrystia Freeland or 'carbon tax Carney' or 'carbon tax Clark,'" Poilievre told a press conference in Ottawa.

Current cabinet ministers Karina Gould, François-Philippe Champagne, Mélanie Joly, Steven MacKinnon and Jonathan Wilkinson say they are also thinking about running.

The party's leadership was set to meet Thursday behind closed doors to hammer out the rules and timeline for the race. More candidates are expected to declare once those rules are set.

The party itself has not answered specific questions about what's taking place at those meetings. Party president Sachit Mehra declined to speak with reporters after appearing at a Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday.

"The National Board will meet today, like they have been every day this week, to discuss the next steps of the leadership race," Liberal party spokesperson Parker Lund said in an email. "The process of finalizing the leadership race rules will take some time, and we will be sure to stay in touch when there is more to share."

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc has decided not to run for the leadership. He said it's more important for him to focus his efforts now on the incoming Donald Trump administration that's threatening to upend the Canadian economy.

Multiple Liberal MPs are trying to convince LeBlanc to change his mind, saying they view him as a strong potential candidate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press