Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will not run for Liberal leadership, a source close to the Minister has confirmed. She will formally make the announcement later today.
Up to now, Joly was widely considered a potential successor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who recently announced he would resign as leader of the Liberal party.
Her focus, the source said, was on navigating the threat of tariffs coming from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.
The Liberals are preparing to pick a new leader by March 9, and anyone looking to run must announce their candidacy by Jan 23 and pay an entrance fee of $350,000 – a significant jump from the previous fee of $75,000.
On Monday, Trudeau announced he would resign the job, citing battles within the party.
Earlier this week, veteran Liberal MP and cabinet member Dominique LeBlanc also said he would not run for party leadership.
Other longtime cabinet ministers, including former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Employment Minister Steven MacKinnon and Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand, are also on the shortlist of possible contenders to replace the leader.
More details to come.