Deadline to Enter Liberal Leadership Race Has Now Passed. Who’s In?

A Liberal Party of Canada logo is shown on a giant screen as a technician looks on during day one of the party's biennial convention in Montreal on Feb. 20, 2014. The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes

The deadline to file an application to run for the Liberal Party leadership has now passed, and seven candidates will be vying for the top spot during the short campaign, pending party approval.

Leadership hopefuls had until Jan. 23 to make a $50,000 refundable payment and collect 300 signatures from registered Liberals, including 100 signatures in three different provinces.

In total, four current and two former Liberal MPs have thrown their hat in the ring, as well as former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.

Two MPs who were recently cabinet ministers have joined the race: Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould. A number of potential contenders from cabinet decided not to run, with some citing the need to concentrate their attention on the tariff threats coming from the new U.S. administration.

The other sitting MPs vying for leadership are Chandra Arya, representing Nepean in Ontario, and Jaime Battiste, representing Sydney-Victoria in Nova Scotia.

Former Liberal MPs who are running include Montreal businessman Frank Baylis, who was the first person to announce his candidacy, and three-time Brampton-Springdale MP Ruby Dhalla.

Michael Clark, a pro-life advocate, had sought to enter the race and said he had the required funds. On Jan. 23, Clark said he came up 30 signatures short before the deadline and was not able to enter.

Candidates have until Jan. 27 to sign up new members. The Liberal Party modified its membership rules ahead of the vote due to concerns over foreign interference. The party previously allowed foreign nationals residing in Canada to vote in nomination and leadership contests. Voting is now restricted to citizens and permanent residents, while signing up remains free.

Along with boosting their number of party supporters, candidates need to fill their coffers to meet the Jan. 30 deadline of a non-refundable payment of $50,000. In total, leadership hopefuls need to provide a total of $350,000 by Feb. 17.

Endorsements

The race to secure endorsements is also on, with Carney and Freeland receiving the major ones so far.

More cabinet ministers have been lining up behind Carney, including Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, and Employment Minister Steven MacKinnon. The three senior ministers all hail from Quebec, a key province in the race. Joly also pledged to use her organizing capacity in the province when she announced she would not seek the party leadership.

Carney has received other endorsements from Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, and Diversity Minister Kamal Khera.

Freeland has the support of some of her former cabinet colleagues, including Justice Minister Arif Virani, Health Minister Mark Holland, and International Development Ahmed Hussen.

Freeland and Carney were asked by reporters on Jan. 23 about their current endorsements.

Carney said those who support him are “making a choice about the importance of the economy.” Asked about the party establishment supporting him, he said his party believes in “freedom” and “good judgment” and this is what the level of support is showing.

Carney, the former governor of the central banks of Canada and England, has casted himself as an “outsider” in the race. If he wins the leadership race, he would become a rare unelected prime minister and would need to run in a byelection or trigger an early general election to gain a seat in the House of Commons.

Opposition parties have all signalled they will vote non-confidence against the minority Liberal government once Parliament’s prorogation ends on March 24.

Freeland was asked by reporters why Carney is garnering more cabinet support. In response, she highlighted having the support of Liberal regional caucus chairs, such as Ontario MP Michael Coteau and Quebec MP Stéphane Lauzon.

“For me, a huge emphasis is going to be reviving the party, reviving the grassroots of the party, reviving a real democratization process in the party,” she told reporters in Ottawa.

“We can never again be in a position where the leader is the only person who decides who the leader is.”

Freeland’s resignation as deputy prime minister and finance minister on Dec. 16, hours before the delivery of the Fall Economic Statement, eventually led to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing on Jan. 6 he would step down once the party chooses a new leader.

Trudeau had been under pressure to reconsider his political future since the Liberals lost a stronghold in a Toronto byelection in June 2024. Calls grew for him to step down after two other byelection losses, but he held on, with the party having no mechanism to trigger a leadership review.

Freeland had joined Trudeau’s team early on and steadily served in his cabinet after the Liberals gained power in 2015. She is now trying to distance herself from the previous policies she once supported, including the carbon tax, the capital gains tax increase, and the GST holiday.

Karina Gould, who previously served as Government House Leader, has also sought to distance herself from her government’s policies by coming out against the increases on the capital gains tax and the carbon tax.

The leadership race will come to an end on March 9.