Five candidates have been approved by the Liberal Party of Canada to run for Trudeau’s position as leader of the party and prime minister of Canada.
Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on Jan. 6, there has been much speculation about who will campaign to take over his leadership of the Liberal Party.
There are five candidates who have begun their campaigns for the position. Here is an overview of who they are and what they plan to do for Parliament.
Chrystia Freeland
After announcing her resignation from Trudeau’s cabinet on Dec. 16, there was much speculation as to whether Former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland would run for Trudeau’s leadership spot, as Freeland’s resignation letter made clear that she was distancing herself from Trudeau’s leadership decisions.
Freeland announced her plans to run for the Liberal leadership in a six-word news release on Jan. 17: “I’m running to fight for Canada.” The next day, she released a campaign video on X wherein she discussed the ways she differs from Trudeau and her personal strengths as a leader.
During her campaign so far, Freeland has focused on Canada-U.S. relations and the way she plans to negotiate with U.S. President Donald Trump if elected Prime Minister.
In an interview with David Gura on the Big Take podcast, Freeland said that a response to Trump’s 25 per cent tariff plans should start “today.”
She suggested approaching the subject by publishing a “retaliation list,” wherein $200 billion worth of U.S. goods would appear akin to a “menu” of items that could face similar trade penalties that Trump is putting onto Canadian goods.
She elaborated by saying that she takes Trump “very, very seriously as a smart guy” to whom “weakness is a provocation,” emphasizing the need to approach Canada-U.S. relations in a tough manner.
In Freeland’s campaign video, she commented on Trump’s dislike towards her, citing her being a “tough negotiator” as reasoning. She continued by saying that she dealt with the first Trump presidency effectively, so she will be aptly able to do so again.
Mark Carney
Former governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney announced his plans to run as leader of the Liberal Party at a news conference in Edmonton on Jan. 16.
Describing the contemporary political landscape as “anything but ordinary,” Carney cited his intent to run as leader of the Liberal Party as rooted in the “unprecedented” economic woes Canada is facing, pledging to get “our economy back on track.”
Carney does not have a seat in the House of Commons and has never been elected to any position in Parliament. Thus, it remains unclear how the electoral process would work for him if elected, as he does not yet represent a riding in Canada.
Carney acknowledged this fact during the conference, saying that he may not have a lifelong history as a politician, but politicians like Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and other “populists do not understand how the economy, and our society, actually work.”
He also distanced himself from the “far left,” saying that the government cannot be relied upon to “redistribute what we don’t have” and cannot support vulnerable individuals without a strong economy.
Karina Gould
On Jan. 23, Burlington MP and former Government House Leader Karina Gould announced that she submitted her paperwork to run for leadership of the Liberal Party after launching her candidacy on Jan. 19.
Gould, being the youngest woman to serve as a Canadian Cabinet minister, is basing her campaign on building a Liberal Party “for the next generation.”
During her leadership announcement, Gould discussed several changes she would make to the Liberal Party if elected.
Gould said that she plans to bring back Liberal Party conventions, wherein MPs can give their members a space to discuss their concerns to make representation as accessible as possible. Similarly, she also said that it is time to “decentralize” the Liberal Party from Ottawa and instead evenly “empower” other regions to amplify the voices of communities.
Gould pledged that, as leader of the Liberal Party, she would also consider the importance of young Liberal voices by bringing back the National Youth Director position.
Gould said Canadians “lost trust” in the Liberal Party because the issues that mattered to them were not being prioritized in Parliament, further emphasizing her campaign promise to focus on the voices of Liberal members if elected as leader of the Liberal Party.
Frank Baylis
On Jan. 15, entrepreneur and Former Quebec MP for the Pierrefonds—Dollard district, Frank Baylis, declared his intent to run for leader of the Liberal Party via a post on X. In his post, Baylis outlined how his experiences as an engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and as a former MP, informs his understanding of Canadian politics.
Baylis also cited his time spent on the Industry, Foreign Affairs as well as Ethics and Privacy committees during his time in Parliament and their commensurate needs of boosting Canadian innovation, as well as supporting human rights and working bi-partisanly as informing his campaign approach.
Baylis’ leadership campaign is also centred around pledging to make daily life less costly for Canadians, prioritize economic challenges and foster the creation of high-paying jobs by investing in innovative fields and Canadian industries as a whole.
Baylis also discussed his hypothetical approach to Canada-U.S. relations in an op-ed for The Hill Times. Baylis criticized Trudeau’s immediate trip to Mar-a-Lago after Trump’s tariff threat to Canada via Truth Social, saying that showing weakness “only emboldens” Trump.
After an analysis of Trump’s motives behind threatening Canada with tariffs, Baylis continued, saying that Trump’s tariff orders must be met with equal counter-tariffs to “signal our strength” until a reasonable deal is signed between the two countries.
Ruby Dhalla
Ruby Dhalla, former Brampton—Springdale MP, launched her candidacy on Jan. 24. Serving as an MP between 2004 and 2011, Dhalla has mostly documented her return to the political sphere via X.
Dhalla has centred her campaign around improving the quality of business in Canada, a timely concern amidst Trump’s tariff orders.
In a campaign video on X, Dhalla said that the housing crisis, the increasing cost of living, high crime rates and widespread unemployment are the consequences of the “territorial and economic threat” Canada is currently facing, blaming her running mates for facilitating the creation of these consequences.
Dhalla cited her upbringing experiencing “the Canadian dream” as her inspiration for running for Liberal leadership, becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), a businesswoman and a three-time elected member of Parliament. Dhalla says that every Canadian should feel the opportunities the country has to offer just as she did.
Dhalla has posited herself as distinct from her running mates, pledging to end the controversial carbon tax and likening Freeland, Carney and Trudeau to each other.
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If you are a registered Liberal, you can vote in this election. Complete information regarding how and where to vote in the Liberal leadership election can be found on the Liberal Party of Canada’s website.