Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says he won’t join the race to become the next leader of the Liberal party.
MacKinnon says he feels the competition to become the next leader needs diverse, experienced and pragmatic voices in both English and French.
While he feels he could be that voice, the Gatineau MP says the short length of this leadership race wouldn’t allow him to mount the kind of campaign he wants to run.
Rather than vie for the leadership, he says he will focus on his ministerial responsibilities and will listen closely to help make an informed choice around who should replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau announced in early January that he would resign as prime minister and Liberal party leader as soon as a replacement is chosen.
The Liberal party said the new leader will be named March 9, but few candidates have thrown their hat into the ring. So far, former Montreal MP Frank Baylis and Nepean, Ont., MP Chandra Arya have joined the race, while former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney signalled through his campaign team that he will launch a leadership bid late next week.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and cabinet minister Anita Anand have all said they will not seek the Liberal leadership.
