Canada's Next PM Could Be Its Shortest-Serving

Canada's governing Liberal Party will announce the country's next prime minister on March 9 after a leadership vote that follows the resignation of Justin Trudeau this week, party leaders said late Thursday. Trudeau remains prime minister until a new leader is chosen. The frontrunners for the Liberal leadership are former central banker Mark Carney and ex-Finance Minster Chrystia Freeland, whose abrupt resignation last month hastened Trudeau's exit.

• Sachit Mehra, president of the Liberal Party of Canada, said the party will "be ready to fight and win the 2025 election" after choosing a new leader. But the next Liberal leader could be the shortest-tenured prime minister in the country's history, the AP reports. All three opposition parties have vowed to bring down the Liberals' minority government in a no-confidence vote to trigger an election after Parliament resumes on March 24.

• Under Canadian law, the election or campaign period must be at least 37 days and no more than 51 days. The record for the shortest-serving Canadian prime minister in history is currently held by Sir Charles Tupper, who was PM for just 68 days in 1896.
• Sources tell the CBC that Trudeau sought to buy his party more time by asking the leaders of the NDP and Bloc Quebecois parties to support the Liberals in a March 26 budget vote, but they refused.
• Recent polls suggest the Liberals' chances of winning the next election look slim. In the latest poll by Nanos, the Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 45% to 23%. A separate Ipsos poll found that 81% of Canadians, including 70% of Liberal supporters, approve of Trudeau's decision to resign, Global News reports.

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