OTTAWA – The federal Liberals are running their first leadership race in more than a decade to replace the departing Justin Trudeau.
Candidates must declare today by 5 p.m. ET with a $50,000 deposit towards a $350,000 fee to be in the race. The winner will be named on March 9.
Here’s a quick look at who’s in and who’s out.
Who’s in
Chandra Arya
Arya became the first current member of the Liberal caucus to announce his candidacy just four days after Trudeau announced his resignation. Arya — first elected as an MP in an Ottawa suburb in 2015 — has said he does not believe he needs to speak French to become prime minister, opposes Trudeau’s carbon pricing system and wants to abolish the monarchy.
The 61-year-old MP for Nepean was born in India and was a technology executive before entering politics.
He has submitted his paperwork to the party.
Jaime Battiste
The Cape Breton MP and chair of the Liberal Indigenous caucus became the first Mi’kmaw lawmaker elected to Parliament in 2019. Battiste expressed interested in running on Jan. 13 and said he was putting together an exploratory committee to help him prepare a bid to become the first Indigenous prime minister.
The 46-year-old MP for Sydney-Victoria — also a champion powwow dancer and award-winning musician — grew up in Eskasoni First Nation.
Battiste said he’ll help ensure First Nations policing services have adequate funding and will convene a first ministers meeting to discuss the price on pollution if he secures the top job. He also said he wants to put the $47.8 billion proposal announced last summer to reform the First Nations child welfare system back on the table. He said that while chiefs voted down the deal in hopes of securing something better, he thinks they might change their minds in another vote.
Battiste says he has submitted his paperwork to the party.
Frank Baylis
A former Montreal Liberal MP and businessman, the 62-year-old Baylis was the first to announce his candidacy. He posted on social media Jan. 9 that he had put forward his name and intended to make an official announcement, which he did on Jan. 15.
Baylis ran in 2015 under the Liberal banner but chose not to run again in 2019. He sold his firm Baylis Medical Company Inc. to Boston Scientific Corporation in 2022 for $1.75 billion.
It’s not clear whether Baylis has submitted his paperwork to the party as he has not responded to inquiries.
Mark Carney
The former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England held a public campaign launch in Edmonton on Jan. 16.
Liberal organizers have sought to bring the star technocrat from the world of global finance into the party fold for the past decade. Over the summer, Carney took on a role advising the party on economic issues.
Born in Fort Smith, N.W.T. and raised in Edmonton, the 59-year-old Carney has been touted by supporters as a “Northerner and a Westerner.”
He is backed by several current and former cabinet ministers, including Gary Anandasangaree, Steven Guilbeault, Patty Hajdu, Mélanie Joly, Sean Fraser and Harjit Sajjan.
He has submitted his paperwork to the party.
Michael Clark
Another late entry into the race, Clark has not previously served in Parliament.
A campaign website describes him as a “Christian community organizer and businessman” who is campaigning to “make the party pro-life.”
It’s not clear whether Clark has submitted his paperwork to the party.
Ruby Dhalla
A late entry into the race, the former Brampton MP has been out of politics since her defeat in the 2011 federal election. The 50-year-old served for a short period in the Paul Martin government before two terms as an opposition MP.
It’s not clear whether Dhalla has submitted her paperwork to the party as she has not responded to inquiries.
Chrystia Freeland
The former finance minister, who has been a Liberal MP since 2013, announced her plans to run for the party leadership on Jan. 17.
She played a key role in Trudeau’s government for many years. The two had a public falling out in December and she quit cabinet when faced with being reassigned.
Freeland, who is 56 years old, was born in Peace River, Alta.
She has received political endorsements from former cabinet ministers Marie-Claude Bibeau and Randy Boissonnault, Health Minister Mark Holland, Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier, Citizens’ Services Minister Terry Beech and Liberal MPs Ben Carr, Ken McDonald, Stéphane Lauzon, Rob Oliphant and Anthony Housefather.
She has submitted her paperwork to the party.
Karina Gould
The 37-year-old millennial is known for going head-to-head with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in Parliament. She was first elected in 2015 and later became the first cabinet minister to have a baby while in office and take maternity leave. Within the party, she is known for getting the national child care program over the finish line.
Gould launched her campaign on Jan. 19, accompanied by Liberal MPs Lisa Hepfner and Pam Damoff. She has filed her paperwork with the party.
Who’s out
Anita Anand
Transport minister and MP for Oakville, Ont., the 57-year-old Anand was once a rising star in cabinet with leadership aspirations. She declined to enter the race on Jan. 11 and also announced she will not seek re-election in her riding.
François-Philippe Champagne
The industry minister said on Jan. 14 that instead of running for the leadership, he will focus on ensuring the government is ready to protect Canadian industry from the trade threats posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The 54-year-old Champagne, MP for Saint-Maurice—Champlain since 2015, said “it was probably the most difficult decision of my life, but I think it was the right one at the right time.”
Christy Clark
The former B.C. Liberal premier withdrew herself from contention on Jan. 14, days after her team had indicated she was very close to declaring publicly she was running. Clark, who is 59 years old, said there was not enough time to mount a successful campaign, and that her French was not good enough to connect with francophone Canadians.
The decision also came days after she was forced to backtrack from her claim that she was never a member of the Conservative party.
Mélanie Joly
The 46-year-old foreign affairs minister decided to opt out of the race on Jan. 10. She said that while she wants to become the first woman to lead the Liberal party, she’s decided it’s a bad time to leave her job as Canada’s top diplomat as the country faces Trump’s tariff threat.
She has since endorsed Mark Carney.
Dominic LeBlanc
LeBlanc is a longtime friend and ally of Trudeau who jumped into the finance portfolio when Freeland suddenly quit. The 57-year-old dashed the hopes of many of his fellow caucus mates on Jan. 8 by ruling out a leadership bid, citing the trade threats posed by the Trump administration.
Steven MacKinnon
The minister of labour, first elected to represent Gatineau, Que, in 2015, indicated interest in the party’s top job and has spoken about the importance of having a bilingual leader.
The 58-year-old MacKinnon bowed out of the running on Jan. 12, saying that the time frame is too short to mount a campaign.
Jonathan Wilkinson
The energy minister and B.C. MP was a clean tech CEO before running for office. He has played a big part in driving the Liberals’ climate policies and was tasked with trying to bring Alberta on board for some less popular measures, including national regulations to end the use of fossil fuels as a source of electricity.
Wilkinson, who is 59 years old, announced on Jan. 17 that he would not seek the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. He said that while the timeline was “extremely short,” he would have raised the required funds had he chosen to run. He said stepping aside from his cabinet position would not serve Canadians’ interests at this “critical time.”
He said the Liberal party needs “new energy and new ideas” and that he looks forward to running in the next federal election under new leadership.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2025.
