UPDATED February 27, 2025 9:01amET
The Liberal Party of Canada will announce its new leader on Sunday, March 9.
The candidates in the running:
- Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney
- Former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland
- Government House Leader Karina Gould
- Former Quebec MP Frank Baylis
(The party disqualified former MP Ruby Dhalla on Feb. 24, claiming she "was in breach of 10 violations" of the leadership rules.)
Candidates had to declare their intention to run by Jan. 23 -- and deliver a $350,000 entrance fee that's payable in four installments.
Eligible voters must have been registered Liberals by Jan. 27 -- and this time the party is restricting the vote to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and those with Indian Act status.
Debates were held on Feb. 24 (French) and 25 (English) in Montreal.
READ MORE: Leadership Rules (Liberal Party of Canada)
The Liberal Party of Canada uses a preferential ballot, combined with a riding-based points system.
Each federal riding has 100 points -- no matter how many Liberals are registered. Candidates earn points based on their support in each riding.
If no one has more than 50% of the national total, the last-place candidate is eliminated, with those ballots re-assigned to the next preference. The ballots continue until a winner emerges.
READ MORE: Leadership Vote Rules (Liberal Party of Canada)
Justin Trudeau won a decisive first-ballot victory in 2013, leading the party into the government two years later.
Nearly a decade after that landmark win, Trudeau announced his intention to resign as leader on Jan. 6. He also announced a prorogation of Parliament until March 24.
Trudeau's announcement came after Freeland's resignation in December -- and after a push by some MPs last year for a change in leadership with the Liberals continually trailing the Conservatives in public opinion.
The Liberals also lost a pair of 2024 by-elections in traditionally safe seats:
WATCH MORE
Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould speaks with reporters in Ottawa the day after participating in the party’s English-language debate. In her remarks, Gould says she would invite her leadership rivals to play key roles(...)
