Liberal Party Leadership Race Update
On March 9th, Liberal Party members will vote for a new leader. There are currently five candidates in the running who have made it over all the fundraising and organizing obstacles.
The Candidates Are:
- Frank Baylis
- Member of Parliament (MP) for Pierrefonds–Dollard from 2015 to 2019
- Former engineer, entrepreneur, and human rights advocate
- Mark Carney
- Former Governor of the Bank of Canada, led the Bank of England
- UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance
- Ruby Dhalla
- Member of Parliament for Brampton-Springdale from 2004 to 2011
- Chiropractor, businesswoman
- Chrystia Freeland
- Former Finance Minister, Current Member of Parliament
- Karina Gould
- Former House Leader
Leadership Race Overview
There were previously seven, but Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste dropped out and endorsed Mark Carney and Ottawa area MP Chandra Arya was disqualified.
The two front runners are Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland. A recent Leger poll of over 1500 Canadians showed Carney as the frontrunner with 34%, Chrystia Freeland with 14% and Karina Gould trailing with 4%. Among Liberal voters Carney polled even higher at 57%.
Carney is leading the race with dozens of endorsements, positive media appearances and continuing momentum. Carney is seen by may as the right person to stand up to President Trump and polls suggest the Liberals would be tied with the Conservatives with him as leader.[1] He has a stellar resume and, as someone who has not held office, he does not carry the same amount of baggage Freeland does. This also means he does not have the same political infrastructure he does.
Most of the candidates have made policy proposals but how detailed or what the policies are about varies widely. Dhalla has made some general policy pledges and is positioning herself as a Canadian Trump equivalent – a dealmaker and businesswoman. Frank Baylis has made some general statements about affordability and healthcare. Both Freeland and Gould have proposed improvements to the Liberal Party and how the government itself is run. Freeland has also published a detailed plan on how to respond to President Trump’s tariffs. Carney has published a Climate Plan that is very detailed and specific but has not published anything else. Most of the candidates have disowned the Liberal’s carbon tax and capital gains tax hike.
In January, the Liberal Party of Canada announced that nearly 400,000 people signed up to vote in the 2025 Liberal Leadership race.[2] At this stage, the leadership contestants are vying for those votes. For many of those members, policy changes and proposals are less important than supporting the candidate members believe they can be a good party leader and win in the next election.
The Liberals have two upcoming leadership debates, one in French on February 24 and one in English the next day. As we have seen in previous elections, debates can sway voters (and the public) as they see potential leaders in action. Political observers will be watching to see if Carney continues his winning streak or if a new frontrunner emerges.
End Notes:
[1] Liberals would be tied with Conservatives with Carney as leader: poll | National Post