Long-serving New Brunswick Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he will not run for the Liberal party’s leadership after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned from the top job.
“While I am extremely grateful for the encouragement and the expressions of support I have received from caucus colleagues and Liberals across the country, I have decided not to be a candidate in the Liberal Party of Canada’s upcoming leadership race,” he said in a statement posted X, formerly Twitter.
LeBlanc has been a close ally to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will officially resign after a successor is chosen. Trudeau prorogued parliament this week until March 24.
He was named finance minister after Chrystia Freeland publicly resigned from the position in December.
“Serving Canadians is an immense privilege – and at a moment when Canada is at a crucial juncture in its relationship with its most important ally and trading partner, the United States, I firmly believe that at this time, the way for me to serve our country is to direct my full attention to my job as Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs – working together with cabinet colleagues, Premiers, other party leaders, business and union leaders to make the case against the unjust application of tariffs on Canadian businesses and workers to the incoming Trump administration,” he said in the statement.
He goes on to say that the threat of these tariffs cannot be understated.
“I look forward to running as a candidate under a new Liberal leader in the next federal election, and to asking the people of Beausejour to renew their confidence in me as their Member of Parliament, as they have so graciously done over the last eight federal elections,” LeBlanc said.
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