‘We’re coming together’: MPs say search for Trudeau’s replacement is reenergizing Liberal party

People attend the national Liberal convention in Ottawa, Thursday, May 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Thursday was the deadline for those looking to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to file their candidacy, seeing seven hopefuls officially throw their hat in the Liberal leadership race.

The key first milestone in the campaign came on the same day as Liberal MPs convened in the nation’s capital, talking about how the search for a new leader has invigorated the party.

Thursday’s meetings were the first of two days of Liberal caucus gatherings on Parliament Hill, as the party embarks on its search for a new leader, and the country stares down U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat.

Some contenders capitalized on having numerous top Liberals in town, hosting private get-togethers to drum up more support.

“I’m very thrilled to be here with members of our team. We’re coming together to help build a stronger economy for Canada,” said Mark Carney, backed by caucus members on his way in to his evening event in downtown Ottawa.

Earlier Thursday, as MPs filed in and out of meeting rooms and spoke with waiting reporters, the chatter centred around who is endorsing who, and why Trudeau’s resignation has helped breathe new life into the embattled Liberal party.

“I feel a renewed sense of hope, a renewed sense of determination, and I think that a lot of Liberals are scared of what Pierre Poilievre government might do,” said Ottawa-area Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld, who is backing Chrystia Freeland. “And so regardless of who the leader is, this race is causing a lot of people to take a lot of interest, and I think it’s good for the party.”

“I have faith that we will come out of this stronger and energized to lead Canada forward,” said Toronto-area MP Ali Ehsassi, who has thrown his endorsement behind Carney.

So far, former Bank of Canada governor Carney is leading in the number of caucus endorsements, with a handful of senior cabinet ministers among those behind him, including Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, and Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan.

“People in Gatineau and across Canada are telling me they want a coherent vision for economic growth, one that supports opportunities for all Canadians in every corner of this country,” said Employment and Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon. “I believe Mark Carney offers us the best hope.”

And, CTV News has confirmed that Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is set to endorse Carney this weekend.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Arif Virani, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Diane Lebouthillier, and Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech are among those backing former finance minister Freeland.

“We need a leader who can hit the ground running on day one, no training wheels required, and that’s Chrystia Freeland,” said Liberal MP and former minister Randy Boissonnault.

Deadline day for contenders

Caucus gathered Thursday as those looking to make their leadership bids official had until 5 p.m. EST to declare their run, submit their applications, and pay the initial refundable $50,000 fee.

By mid-day, all who announced they’d be running had confirmed they’d cleared the entrance hurdle.

As part of their nomination package submissions, leadership hopefuls had to present signatures from 300 registered Liberal members, including at least 100 from three different provinces and territories.

Carney, Freeland, and former government House leader Karina Gould have confirmed they’ve turned in the necessary documentation and deposit.

So too have Ontario Liberal MP Chandra Arya and first Indigenous candidate and Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste. Former Quebec Liberal MP Frank Baylis has also confirmed he’s submitted his papers, noting he’d surpassed the signature requirement.

Late-entrant into the race Ruby Dhalla told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday that she was running, pitching herself as the candidate to “represent all Canadians.” She confirmed “the papers are in,” and “the deposit is paid” in a post on X Thursday.

45 days left in race to replace Trudeau

Party spokesperson Parker Lund told CTV News on Thursday that it could be several days before any of the entrants are declared official candidates. The party has 10 days to make approvals, and Elections Canada also has a validation process that can take some time.

“We will only confirm official candidates once they have been fully approved, so I wouldn’t expect any announcements today,” Lund said.

The next major deadline in the race is Jan. 27. That’s the cutoff under the revised membership rules for those who want to cast a vote in this race to become a registered Liberal.

Then, candidates will have between Jan. 30 and Feb. 17 to pay the rest of their $350,000 entry fee in installments.

So far, the party has been mum on dates for potential leadership debates. The winner of the race will be announced on March 9, just 45 days from now.

MPs defend policy pivots, tout Trump approaches

As the race ticks on, contenders are announcing or floating a series of policy commitments, tying some to their concerns around the economy as Canada braces for a renewed trade war with Trump.

One of the central affordability-related pivots leadership hopefuls have made is distancing themselves to varying degrees from the consumer carbon tax.

Freeland has vowed to scrap it, as well as the capital gains tax hike, citing a desire to limit the chill on investment.

Gould has vowed to stop the April 1 increase to the pollution price, and said Thursday she thinks the government got its attempt to target Canada’s wealthiest with the capital gains measures, wrong.

Carney has also signalled he’s looking to change tact on climate policy, and has criticized the Trudeau Liberals for letting their “attention wander” from the economy.

On Thursday, Liberal MPs chalked up those who are abandoning or now speaking critically of policies they once championed, as listening to Canadians.

“I think it’s extremely important that we listen to Canadians. This is a time where we really have to build consensus and unity and where we have to evolve as a party,” said Health Minister Mark Holland.

Liberal MP Ben Carr said a lot of caucus has recognized that some of their policies need improvement.

“There were some policies that upon the passage of time Canadians made clear to us that were not palatable,” Carr said.

“In a democracy, you listen to people, and I think where we fell down in the last number of years, is that we didn’t have a finely-tuned approach to where people were, and this is a chance for a reset,” said Liberal MP Rob Oliphant.

On Thursday, Carney released a campaign video that framed himself as “not a politician,” drawing sharp contrast with who would be his main opponent should he clinch the top Liberal post.

“Pierre Poilievre has been a politician his entire life, and in all that time, he hasn’t fixed a thing. He just complains, misleads, and blames everything on someone else,” Carney said. “You can’t stand up to Trump when you’re working from his playbook.”

Freeland, Gould unveil party-centric proposals

On Thursday, Gould and Freeland made announcements about their ideas for party renewal, both of them pledging to better engage Liberal members.

Gould, at a snowy event in Ottawa just after turning in her papers, pitched her vision for a “Liberal Party of Canada for the next generation,” which includes bringing back regular policy conventions, annual meetings with electoral district association leads, and having more field organizers.

“I’ve heard from people right across the country who tell me that they are rejoining the Liberal party or joining the party for the first time because they’re excited about my candidacy,” she said. “This is a grassroots, people-powered campaign.”

Freeland, in a paper release, unveiled a six-pronged plan to strengthen the party and “push back against centralization.”

Her plan includes making biennial conventions permanent, setting up a new leadership review process, initiating a party-wide membership review, and reworking the party’s policy process.

Her campaign said, as Freeland travels the country to hear directly from Liberals, these proposals “are just the beginning of a plan to renew the party and empower the grassroots.”

Speaking about her ideas on her way in to the afternoon national caucus meeting, Freeland appeared to take a shot at Trudeau’s leadership troubles and the mounting pressure he faced from caucus before he resigned earlier this month.

“For me, a huge emphasis is going to be reviving the party, reviving the grassroots of the party, reviving a real democratization process in the party,” Freeland said. “We can never again be in a position where the leader is the only person who decides who the leader is.”