Liberal leadership race: A look at the potential candidates

Liberal House leader Karina Gould speaks to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals are running their first leadership race in more than a decade to replace the departing Justin Trudeau.

Candidates must declare by Jan. 23 and pay a $350,000 fee to enter 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’s announcement. 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, came out against Trudeau’s carbon pricing system and wants to abolish the monarchy.

The 61-year-old member of Parliament for Nepean was born in India and was a technology executive before entering politics.

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 has said he’ll help ensure First Nations policing services have adequate funding and that he’ll convene a first ministers meeting to discuss the price on pollution if he secures the top job. He also said he’ll put the $47.8 billion proposed deal to reform the First Nations child welfare system announced last summer back on the table. He said that while chiefs voted it down in hopes of securing something better, he thinks they might change their minds in another vote.

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 later did on Jan. 15.

Baylis ran in 2015 under the Liberal banner but chose not to run again in 2019. He sold his company Baylis Medical Company Inc. to Boston Scientific Corporation in 2022 for $1.75 billion.

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, he took on a role advising the party on economics.

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 Liberal MPs, including George Chahal, Sophie Chatel, Salma Zahid, Francesco Sorbara and Patrick Weiler.

Chrystia Freeland

The former finance minister, who has been a Liberal MP since 2013, announced her plans to run for party leadership on Jan. 17, with her official launch scheduled for Jan. 19.

She played a key role in Trudeau’s government until the two had a 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 multiple high-profile Liberals, including former cabinet ministers Marie-Claude Bibeau and Randy Boissonnault, Health Minister Mark Holland and Liberal MPs Ben Carr, Ken McDonald, Stéphane Lauzon, Rob Oliphant and Anthony Housefather.

Who’s considering

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 is expected to launch her campaign on Jan. 19.

She has been endorsed by former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps.

Who’s out

Anita Anand

Transport minister and MP for Oakville, Ont., 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, he will focus on ensuring the government is ready to protect Canadian industry from the trade threats posed by incoming 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 signalled 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 dropped out of the race on Jan. 10. She said that while she wants to become the first woman to lead the Liberal party, she decided it’s a bad time to leave her job as Canada’s top diplomat as the country faces an existential tariff threat from Trump.

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. 14, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press