An Albertan could become the next prime minister Sunday in race to replace Justin Trudeau

Federal Liberal leadership hopefuls have spent a significant amount of the campaign trying to appeal to Albertans. CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson reports.

Canada is one day away from the end of the Justin Trudeau era.

Sunday, the federal Liberals will choose a new leader to become prime minister – and two of the presumed front-runners are from Alberta.

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Joseph Clark, prime minister for just under nine months between 1970 and 1980, is currently the only Alberta-born politician to serve as the head of the Canadian government.

That could change on Sunday should Chrystia Freeland win the current leadership race.

Freeland was born in Peace River to a pair of lawyers who farmed. Before attending university abroad, she went to high school in Edmonton.

The former journalist was elected to the Liberal party in 2013, two years before Trudeau took office. During her tenure, she has served as a foreign minister, a trade minister and, until her resignation in December, finance minister.

Should Mark Carney win, he will join the likes of prime ministers like Stephen Harper and R.B. Bennet, who were born elsewhere but held strong ties to Alberta.

Carney was born in the Northwest Territories, but when he launched his bid to lead the Liberals, he did it in the Edmonton neighbourhood where he grew up.

Unlike Freeland, Carney has never held elected office.

He has held multiple high-status positions, including head of the Financial Stability Board for the G20 and Bank of Canada governor (which he would later be largely credited for helping Canada navigate the global financial crisis in 2008).

In 2014, the economist became an Officer of the Order of Canada for his leadership in the development of financial policy in Canada and around the world.

Strategy

Both Carney and Freeland have played up their prairie roots in their campaigns, something strategist Tom Vernon, with Crestview Strategy, said is unusual – but not unhelpful – in this particular race.

“You wouldn’t normally think, ‘Liberal leadership race, let’s focus on Alberta,’” Vernon said. “Because in the next election it’s going to be pretty slim pickings when it comes to the number of seats that they’re going to be able to win in Alberta.

“But the leadership election is different.”

In a leadership vote, Vernon explained, each riding holds the same weight whether it has 100 card-carrying Liberals or 1,000.

“It really ensures that leadership contestants are speaking to a broad range of Canadians, people right across the country – not just focusing on their strongholds,” he added. “It’s really interesting to see how they have to play that strategy up and really get support across the country.”

There are currently just two Liberal MPs in Alberta, one in each of the big cities.

Vernon said Freeland’s deep roots may help in the leadership race, but he doesn’t know if it will help once an election is called.

“There’s some pretty strong hold beliefs about the Liberal Party in Alberta. Does a leader being from Alberta change that? Maybe with some, but I don’t see it leading to a flood of votes,” he added.

“I’m not sure Albertans views are going to change on the Liberal Party, regardless of who’s leading it.”

What comes next

Carney’s platform has focused on building a strong economy and new trading relationships, while Freeland has touted herself as being the best choice to stand up to Trump (given her experience dealing with him the last time he was in the White House).

“If you wonder why I can succeed where others have failed or will fall short, consider this: I’ve helped manage multiple crises, and I’ve helped save two economies,” Carney said at his campaign launch. “I know how business works, and I know how to make it work for you.”

“I know President Trump. I fought for Canada in the first Trump administration, and I got a good deal for Canada,” Freeland told The Canadian Press at a rally in Edmonton in late February. “I’ve been trade minister, and I’ve been foreign minister and finance minister. And I understand the severity of the challenge we face today.”

Carney and Freeland have outlined plans to change or remove the unpopular carbon pricing, commonly called the carbon tax, should they be elected.

• Mark Carney says he’ll scrap carbon tax
• Freeland promises to consult Canadians on carbon pricing

Liberal MP Karina Gould and former MP and businessman Frank Baylis are the other two candidates on the Liberal ballot.

Voting for the Liberal leadership race closes at 3 p.m. Sunday, with the new leader expected to be announced later that night.

Whoever wins, Vernon said, will become prime minister as the country faces an unprecedented and unpredictable breakdown in the relationship between Canada and the U.S.

“We’re in a trade war with our number one trading partner, there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to geopolitical status,” he added. “I can’t think of a recent time where there was this much uncertainty facing a new leader.”

The next scheduled federal election is set for Oct. 20, but one could come sooner should the new prime minister call one after taking office – or should the Liberals fail a confidence vote once Parliament returns.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson, CTV News' Spencer Van Dyk, Rachel Aiello and Stephanie Ha and The Canadian Press