Liberals to Select Leader on March 9; Rules for the Race Announced

The lectern is installed before keynote addresses at the 2023 Liberal National Convention in Ottawa on May 4, 2023. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

The Liberal Party of Canada has set March 9 as the date to choose its new leader, while also announcing the rules of the leadership race, including the deadline for candidates to sign up. 

That gives the party two months to find a replacement for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who announced Jan. 6 his intention to step down as Liberal leader once a successor has been selected.

“After a robust and secure nation-wide process, the Liberal Party of Canada will choose a new leader on March 9, and be ready to fight and win the 2025 election,” Liberal Party of Canada President Sachit Mehra said in a Jan. 9 release.

All leadership contestants must declare their participation in the contest by Jan. 23 and pay a $350,000 entrance fee, a significantly higher fee than the $75,000 amount set for the previous leadership race, according to the party’s newly released rules.

The winner of the leadership race will serve as prime minister for only two weeks before the House of Commons reconvenes. Along with his upcoming resignation, Trudeau announced at a Jan. 6 press conference that Gov. Gen. Mary Simon agreed with his request to prorogue the current session of Parliament until March 24.

The party also changed its registration rules so that only Canadian citizens and permanent residents can vote in the leadership race. Prior to the change, anyone who “ordinarily” resides in Canada and is over 14 years of age could have become a registered Liberal.

It is widely expected opposition parties will vote non-confidence in the government at the first opportunity, once Parliament resumes, plunging the country into a spring election.

Potential Candidates

Only two candidates have declared their intentions to run so far. Former Liberal MP Frank Baylis informally announced his candidacy just hours after Trudeau’s Jan. 6 resignation, while Liberal Ontario MP Chandra Arya did so on Jan. 9, prior to the party announcing its deadline and rules for the race.

Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney has said he is considering a run for the top spot, but has yet to make a final decision. Former B.C. Premier Christy Clark has also indicated she is contemplating a leadership bid.

A handful of cabinet ministers have expressed interest in the job as well. Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, and Employment Minister Steven MacKinnon are all possible candidates to take over as prime minister.

The names of former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Transport Minister Anita Anand, and House Leader Karina Gould, have also been floated as possible candidates.

Freeland has consistently ranked at the top of public opinion polls regarding the most suitable candidate to succeed Trudeau. Her name has frequently been in the news since her abrupt resignation from cabinet just before Christmas sparked a surge of calls for Trudeau to resign.

Trudeau was asked during his resignation announcement if current cabinet ministers could compete for the Liberal leadership while serving on the front bench, but he did not offer a definitive answer.

Party Rules

A number of MPs voiced concern about foreign interference in the lead-up to the rules being released, and pushed for the party to find ways to safeguard the integrity of the process.

These concerns were previously highlighted by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians of potential foreign interference.

The foreign interference report released last June outlined possible interference in a Liberal nomination race when busloads of international students allegedly participated in the voting process under the guidance of foreign officials to support then-Liberal nomination candidate Han Dong.

The Liberal Party is now restricting voting eligibility to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are 14 or older. Those wishing to vote in the upcoming leadership election can register with the party until Jan. 27.

The party said it has modified the prerequisites for becoming a registered member as a way to protect “the integrity of our democratic process, while still engaging as many people as possible.”