OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Friday announced she would not run in the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying she wanted to focus on the threat posed by potential U.S. tariffs.
Joly is the second cabinet heavyweight after Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc to cite her official responsibilities as the reason for staying out of the race to become leader of the ruling Liberal Party.
"The reality is I can't do both," Joly told reporters ahead of a meeting to discuss retaliatory measures if president-elect Donald Trump goes ahead with a threat to impose tariffs.
"My job is to make sure that we're ready should (he) decide to go on with his tariffs, and that's why I took the decision (not to run)," she said.
Trudeau, beset by months of party infighting over poor poll numbers, on Monday said he would quit once the party had chosen a new leader. The winner will be announced on March 9.
The Globe and Mail newspaper, citing sources, said former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and ex-Bank of Canada governor were likely to announce soon they would run.
Polls indicate that whoever wins will not be prime minister for long, given how far behind the Liberals trail the official opposition Conservatives after nine years in office. The next election looks set to take place at some point in May.
Other cabinet members mulling a run include Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Transport Minister Anita Anand and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Writing by Ismail Shakil; Editing by Nia Williams)
