Experienced hands that can fix the economy. A tough negotiator who can face the Donald Trump White House. A millennial-long figure who can rebuild the party.
Thus the candidates vying for Justin Trudeau’s job as Liberal leader are trying to define themselves to set themselves apart from the pack.
The race heated up on Saturday as Government House leader Karina became the youngest candidate to throw her hat into the gold ring, saying the party needed a “new generation of leadership”.
She and rival candidate Chrystia Freeland released dueling campaign videos arguing why they were Best suited to lead the party in the upcoming election.
“Canadians have lost faith in our party and we have to regain their faith,” said Gould, 37, the Best person to rebuild the damaged party brand.
Her video came quickly on the heels of one released by Freeland’s camp, where the former finance minister billed herself as the Best person to lead Canada’s fight against incoming US President Trump, saying she’s taken it on before — and won. .
In a video posted on social media, Freeland said she was a “tough negotiator” in negotiations to replace Canada’s most important trade deal, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and that Trump didn’t like her “very much” because Canada won. war
“Donald Trump and his billionaire friends think they can push us around,” she said over images of Trump on stage at a rally with Elon Musk. “Trump thinks we’re for sale — that he can take what’s not his. We’re not going to let that go.”
When former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney launched his leadership bid in his hometown of Edmonton on Thursday, he said if there was one thing to remember about him, it was that he would be “totally focused on getting our economy back on track.” .”
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Carney has considerable experience in the private and public sectors, from investment banking to setting monetary policy for Canada and the UK, and he could lean on that to bolster his economic goodwill during the campaign. He wants to present himself as an outsider who was not part of the Trudeau government.
But as they try to differentiate themselves, candidates face a common challenge. Each is close to Trudeau, who remains deeply unpopular with the voting public.
They’ve also all supported Trudeau’s controversial carbon pricing regime — at least until recently. And the opposition Conservatives will make sure Canadians know this well, and have already started advertising.
The candidates also share a common enemy: Conservative leader Pierre Poulivre, who is on track to win the next election and form a government if the Liberal leadership candidates cannot revive his ailing party brand.
Freeland claimed that Poilivre would “bow down to Trump and sell us out,” while Carney sought to frame him as a dangerous populist who doesn’t understand how the economy works.
Gould, a member of Trudeau’s cabinet, has a track record of going toe-to-toe with Poilever. She did not mention him or Trump by name, but said in her video that the party needs someone who can “stand up to bullies” and “not back down.”
Freeland plans to launch her full campaign Sunday in Toronto, while Gould officially launches her bid the same day in Burlington, Ont.
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Ottawa MP Chandra Arya and former Montreal MP Frank Bayliss have indicated their intention to run, as has Cape Breton MP Jaime Batiste.
Prospective candidates have just days left to declare they will run for the party’s top job and pay a $50,000 deposit before Thursday’s cutoff deadline.
Candidates must quickly raise a total of $350,000 to join the race and then pony up, though the party has come up with an installment plan to cover such a steep entry price tag in a short time frame.
Candidates must pay the $50,000 fee by January 30, then face two other $125,000 payment hurdles on February 7 and February 17.
Arya said on social media Friday that she had the required number of party members’ signatures and pay the first deposit required to enter the race, while Carney posted online that he raised more than $125,000 in the first 24 hours after launching his campaign.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson declined to participate on Friday, saying he believed he could have raised the funds but ultimately opted against his own bid.
He joins a host of other cabinet ministers to bow out early, notably Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie, Finance Minister Dominique LeBlanc and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who were seen by many in the capital as potential front-runners.
Getting support from Joly and Champagne will be crucial for any candidate looking to further their Quebec true faith.
Meanwhile, support for other candidates from the caucus continues to increase. Northern Affairs Minister Dan Wendle endorsed Freeland, citing his experience with the Canada-US trade file, while Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said he was backing Carney.
Sheila Copes, a former deputy prime minister under Jean Chretien’s Liberal government, has advocated for gold in a recent talk TV show interview.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
