Friday January 10, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 1 pm | Updated 2:10 pm]
Editorial political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The Liberal Party of Canada nation-wide race to choose their next leader will close on March 9, 2025. At that time, Canadians will know who will be country’s prime minister.
On January 6, Trudeau announced his intention to resign. The new leader will step into top job as outgoing leader and prime minister Justin Trudeau steps aside.
“After a robust and secure nation-wide process, the Liberal Party of Canada will choose a new leader on March 9, and be ready to fight and win the 2025 election,” said Sachit Mehra, President of the Liberal Party of Canada in a news release last night — just four days after Trudeau’s announcement of his resignation.
Fast process for important results:
Choosing a new leader so quickly to achieve something of significance for the future of the country shows how vulnerable Canadians are to the directions taken by political parties. Especially now as the US-initiated trade war escalates.
The Liberal Party of Canada says it intends to run a “secure, fair, and national race” that will elect the next Leader of the party.
Whomever is elected as leader will probably not be the prime minister for very long. Knowing this, leadership candidates would have to be entirely devoted to the Liberal mission within Canadian politics and not mind if their moment in the sun is short.
But conversely, this could be a foot in the door for people who plan to run again in the next general election.
Key cabinet ministers not running:
So far, some of the top performers in the current Liberal cabinet have decided *not* to enter the leadership race so they can focus on the Canada-USA file — that includes Dominic LeBlanc (Minister of Public Safety and Intergovernmental Affairs) and Melanie Joly (Foreign Affairs Minister) who Canadians should be glad are deciding to focus on the work of government as such an important time.
A few lesser-known MPs have thrown their hat into the ring including businessman Frank Bayliss (a Montreal area MP for Pierrefonds-Dollard during 2015-2019) who wants to bring a business mindset to government and Chandra Arya, MP (Nepean) who seeks a “small, more efficient government”.
Two current cabinet ministers who have expressed interest in running to be the leader include Jonathan Wilkinson (currently Minister of Energy and Natural Resources with also 25 years CEO business experience) and François-Philippe Champagne (currently Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry).
A few other names with public recognition that continue to be tossed about in a speculative way by national media include:
Chrystia Freeland whose recent resignation from being the Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister under Trudeau’s leadership essentially kick-started the new leadership search. She is reportedly already in a process to run for the leadership.
Mark Carney is a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor who Trudeau leaned on for economic advice but has no retail political experience. He said earlier this week that he would review his options with family (a big step to enter an elected political lifestyle) and others. He fits the mainstream image of a traditional Liberal politician but that may not be what Canada needs now.
Christy Clark is lifelong politically active. She was a BC cabinet minister and former premier who during 2001-2017 altered livability, educational directions and economic conditions in ways that were not helpful or positive for many people. In between political roles she has been a radio host and TV political pundit. She bought a Conservative membership in 2022 in order to vote in that party’s leadership selection process (which ended up putting Pierre Poilievre into the Opposition leadership).
Ideas and debate:
Meanwhile, the process seems to encourage thoughtfulness and debate. “This is a time for Liberals across the country to exchange ideas and engage in thoughtful debate to shape the future of our party and our country – and I encourage all Liberals to get involved in this exciting moment for our party.”
The National Board of Directors formally met on Thursday evening to discuss and outline the initial rules of the up-coming leadership race. They decided:
- The entrance fee for a candidate to join the leadership race will be $350,000. A leadership contestant must declare their participation in the race by January 23, 2025.
- The cutoff date to become a Registered Liberal and be eligible to vote in the leadership race is January 27, 2025.
- Membership requires a person to be at least 14 years of age and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada or have status under the Indian Act.
- Members must not be a member of any other political party.
- The leadership vote will conclude on March 9, 2025.
- The new leader will be announced on the same day.
Running the process:
Suzanne Cowan, Past President of the Party, and Marc-Etienne Vien, LPC(Q) Director, will co-chair the Leadership Vote Committee. This committee will be responsible to plan and organize the Leadership vote, and will start to meet in the coming days to finalize the remaining procedures of the vote.
MP Patricia Lattanzio and John Herhalt, Chair of the Federal Liberal Agency of Canada, will co-chair the Leadership Expense Committee. This committee will adopt Leadership Expense Rules for the leadership race, as well as set a maximum expense limit. They will begin meeting in the coming days to finalize these procedures.
==== RELATED:
- Poilievre shifts Trudeau-taunts to all potential leadership Liberal candidates (January 9, 2025)
- BC can do better than Ms Clark for Liberal leadership (January 8, 2025)
- Parliament on pause as Liberals choose new leader (January 6, 2025)
- Why Trudeau needs to stay and Freeland needs to chill (December 21, 2024)
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