By Chris Beach

Northern View

The Northern View #55: The Race Begins

Jan 22, 2025 | 8:21 AM

And we’re off! The Liberal Party leadership race has officially begun, and before you know it, it will all be over by March 9.

The two front runners are Chrystia Freeland and the former Bank of Canada & England Governor Mark Carney. Freeland, the former longtime Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, tried to distance herself from the extremely unpopular Prime Minister Trudeau by publicly throwing him under the bus and forcing his resignation… calling him out for “costly political gimmicks” in the new budget… her see-the-light-moment only coming, of course, after she got the axe.

Would Freeland’s leadership be enough to turn around the government’s ailing fortunes? I suspect Kim Campbell, who took over from a very unpopular Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney after, like Trudeau, nine years in power, could provide some insight on her chances: the Tories suffered the worst political defeat in Canadian history, leaving them with only two seats across Canada in 1993.

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Should Mark Carney win, I suspect the Liberal Party’s chances would be no better. Like Freeland, he grew up in Alberta, but his life experience has taken him so far away from today’s typical Canadian hardships, that his awkward attempt to connect with voters at his campaign launch in an Edmonton hockey rink was unconvincing in the least.

This long-time economist, wall street investment banker and corporate board member clearly has the resume to direct a national economy, but can he make a connection with the average Canadian voter? Time will tell. One thing for sure, this novice politician will have to work on his presentation skills so his audiences don’t completely fall asleep in the first 5 minutes.

Regardless of who wins, the Liberal Party is already on fire and headed for an iceberg. Let the eastern establishment elites go down with the ship and allow the party to do a proper rebuild, with a minimum six-month leadership contest, to find a long-term leader who is not associated with the Trudeau government, and can actually offer something different, authentic and appealing to Canadian voters.

I’m Chris Beach and this is the Northern View.

Editors note: The views expressed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of Pattison Media.