Chrystia Freeland, whose abrupt resignation as finance minister last month forced Justin Trudeau's exit as prime minister, said she is running to be the next leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada.

Former Canadian finance minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday announced that she would take part in the contest to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the ruling Liberal Party.

Chrystia Freeland, the former Canadian finance minister who helped bring Justin Trudeau’s political career to an end when she resigned in December, has joined the race to replace him as prime minister.

Chrystia Freeland, the former deputy prime minister, sought to distance herself from Mr. Trudeau in a public letter criticizing him for “costly political gimmicks.”

OTTAWA — Chrystia Freeland, whose dramatic resignation as finance minister in December set the stage for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down, has announced she will run for the Liberal leadership. Freeland announced her campaign on social media on Friday morning with a single sentence: “I am running to fight for Canada.”

Former Canadian finance minister Chrystia Freeland, who was one of Trudeau’s closest political allies for a decade, quit last month after resisting his demands for more spending and wrote a letter denouncing his governing style.

Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney announced on Thursday (January 16) that he was running to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the ruling Liberal Party, saying he wanted to focus on the struggling economy.

Mark Carney, the former governor of Canada's central bank, on Thursday launched his bid to succeed Justin Trudeau as Liberal Party leader and prime minister, immediately becoming a frontrunner in the race.