Who is running to be the new Liberal Party of Canada leader?

Just days after Justin Trudeau announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, multiple people have already expressed interest in becoming his successor.

The Liberal Party announced Thursday it will select its next leader on March 9.

WHO’S IN

Chrystia Freeland

Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, who has been a Liberal MP since 2013, played a key role in Trudeau’s government for many years. The two had a public falling out in December and she quit cabinet when faced with being reassigned.

Freeland, who is 56 years old, has received political endorsements from former cabinet ministers Marie-Claude Bibeau and Randy Boissonnault, Health Minister Mark Holland, Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier, Citizens’ Services Minister Terry Beech and Liberal MPs Ben Carr, Ken McDonald, Stéphane Lauzon, Rob Oliphant and Anthony Housefather. says in a statement posted on social media she will officially launch her campaign on Sunday, Jan. 19.

Freeland’s first policy promise will be to impose dollar-for-dollar tariffs on U.S. imports to match the cost of tariffs U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has vowed to impose on Canada.

Mark Carney

Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney ended nearly a decade of speculation about his political ambitions by announcing he plans to seek the leadership of the party.

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, Carney took on a role advising the party on economic issues.

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 current and former cabinet ministers, including Gary Anandasangaree, Steven Guilbeault, Patty Hajdu, Mélanie Joly, Sean Fraser and Harjit Sajjan.

Conservatives have already taken aim at Carney releasing a new digital ad branding him as “carbon tax Carney.”

House Leader Karina Gould

Gould is the youngest candidate to throw her hat in the ring to replace Justin Trudeau, saying she’s the right person to rebuild the party.

Gould said the party needs new leadership to “fight for everyday Canadians” – someone who has a track record of “standing up to bullies” and won’t back down.

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.

MP Chandra Arya

Arya became the first current member of the Liberal caucus to announce his candidacy just four days after Trudeau announced his resignation. 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, opposes Trudeau’s carbon pricing system and wants to abolish the monarchy.

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

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 did on Jan. 15.

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

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

Michael Clark

Another late entry into the race, Clark has not previously served in Parliament.

A campaign website describes him as a “Christian community organizer and businessman” who is campaigning to “make the party pro-life.”

Ruby Dhalla

A late entry into the race, the former Brampton MP has been out of politics since her defeat in the 2011 federal election. The 50-year-old served for a short period in the Paul Martin government before two terms as an opposition MP.

WHO’S OUT

MP Dominic LeBlanc

The Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs said that despite receiving encouragement to make a run at the leadership, threats of a looming trade war being launched by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump requires “nothing less than my full attention.”

MP Mélanie Joly

The Foreign Affairs Minister said that while she’s ready to become the first female leader of the Liberal party, she’s not willing to leave her cabinet posting at a “crucial time” for Canada-U. S. relations.

MP Anita Anand

The Transport and Internal Trade Minister says she plans to return to a professional life of teaching, research and public policy analyses.

MP Steven MacKinnon

The Labour Minister cited the short length of this leadership race which wouldn’t allow him to mount the kind of campaign he wants to run.

Christy Clark

Former B.C. premier Christy Clark confirmed she will not run for the federal Liberal leadership. In a statement, Clark said “there is simply not enough time” to put together a successful campaign.

Clark previously said she was “very seriously” considering a leadership bid but expressed disappointment with the short timeline for the race.

She was the 35th premier of B.C. from 2011 to 2017 and was the first woman to be elected premier of the province.

MP François-Philippe Champagne

MP François-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced he won’t be running in the leadership race, saying he plans to remain focused on his current job.

He previously told 680News Radio Toronto that he was “considering a run and is speaking with people.” He added that he was waiting for the rules surrounding the leadership race to be decided.

Champagne has been a Member of Parliament since he was elected to the riding of Saint-Maurice—Champlain in 2015. He first joined Trudeau’s cabinet in 2017 when he became the Minister of International Trade, then moved to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities.

The Quebec MP was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2021 before becoming the Industry Minister following a cabinet shuffle.

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 list will be updated as more candidates express interest in running.