Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party will elect a new leader on March 9 | Politics News
Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and former central banker Mark Carney are set to seek the party leadership.
Outgoing party Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that it would elect a new leader on March 9 ahead of the 2025 general election.
The Liberal Party’s national steering committee formally met on Thursday night to discuss and outline the ground rules for the upcoming leadership race.
“After a strong and secure process at the national level, the Liberal Party of Canada will elect a new leader on March 9 and be ready to fight and win the 2025 election,” the party said in a statement late Thursday.
The leadership vote will end on March 9, and the new leader will be announced on the same date, the party added.
Trudeau published on Monday that he will step down in the coming months after nine years in power, bowing to pressure from politicians worried about the party’s poor results in pre-election polls.
Trudeau has said he will remain both prime minister and leader of the Liberals until the party elects a new leader.
The deadline to become a registered Liberal and be eligible to vote in the leadership race will be January 27, according to the Liberal Party.
A candidate must pay C$350,000 ($243,000) to join the leadership race, it added.
The Globe and Mail reported this late Thursday former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and former central banker Mark Carney were ready to seek the leadership of the Liberal Party.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne are reportedly still unsure whether to join the race.
Trudeau announced on Monday that the parliament will be suspended until March 24. This meant that an election was unlikely before May at the earliest.
Canada’s next election must be held by October 20, and polls show voters are poised to elect the opposition Conservatives and deliver a resounding defeat to the Liberals, regardless of who leads the party.
In the latest Nanos poll, the Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives by 45 percent to 23 percent.
