Ottawa:

Canadian Foreign Minister Melania Jolie announced Friday that she will not enter the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying she wants to focus on the threat posed by potential U.S. tariffs.

Jolie is the second cabinet heavyweight behind Finance Minister Dominique LeBlanc, who cited her official duties as the reason she stayed out of the running to become head of the ruling Liberal Party.

“The reality is I can’t do both,” Jolie told reporters before a meeting to discuss retaliatory measures if President-elect Donald Trump goes ahead with his threat to impose tariffs.

“My job is to make sure we’re ready (they) decide to go with their tariffs, and that’s why I made the decision (not to run),” he said.

Trudeau, reeling from months of party battles over poor poll numbers, said on Monday he would step down when the party chooses a new leader. The winner will be announced on March 9.

The Globe and Mail newspaper, citing sources, said that former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and former governor of the Bank of Canada may soon announce their candidacy.

Polls suggest whoever wins won’t be prime minister for long, given how far the Liberals trail the official opposition Conservatives after nine years in office. The next election is scheduled to be held sometime in May.

Other cabinet members who are considering selection include Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Transport Minister Anita Anand and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Justin Trudeau (T) Justin Trudeau replaced by Canadian Foreign Minister Melania Jolie



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