The Liberal Party said it is still reviewing those who registered to join the party, to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria to vote in the leadership race.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Nearly 400,000 people have registered to vote in the Liberal leadership race, the party announced Thursday, as the field of contenders to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau narrowed.
The number of registered Liberals nearly quadrupled since Mr. Trudeau announced his intention to resign on Jan. 6. Liberal spokesperson Parker Lund told The Globe and Mail Thursday that the party only had about 100,000 registered Liberals in the first week of the year.
Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland says that the Liberals can "never again" be in a position where the only person who can remove the party leader is the leader themself. (Jan. 23, 2025)
The Canadian Press
“Momentum is building,” said national director Azam Ishmael in the party’s press release. “In the last two weeks, we’ve substantially grown our membership and broken new fundraising records.”
The party said it is still reviewing the Liberals who registered to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria to vote in the race. Any leadership campaign can also challenge the status of any registered Liberal, so the final number of voters can still change, the party said.
There are just over five weeks left in the race, which officially began on Jan. 9.
The field of contenders include former central banker Mark Carney, who has never run for elected office but is far ahead in endorsements over his main contender, Chrystia Freeland. The former finance minister has just a handful of cabinet ministers backing her campaign, while at least 20 have thrown their support behind Mr. Carney.
Also running are former House leader Karina Gould, who resigned her position to enter the race, and former Liberal MPs Frank Baylis and Ruby Dhalla.
Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste quit the race and endorsed Mr. Carney on Thursday – which also marked the deadline for leadership candidates to submit their second payment to continue as candidates.
The deadline for Liberal leadership contestants to file their registration papers has passed — meaning no other challengers can enter the race. The field currently consists of former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, former House leader Karina Gould, Liberal MPs Jaime Battiste and Chandra Arya, and former Liberal MPs Frank Baylis and Ruby Dhalla. The new leader to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be announced March 9. (Jan. 24, 2025)
The Canadian Press
By Jan. 30, all candidates had to submit $100,000 of the total entry fee of $350,000. The next payment is due Feb. 7 and the final instalment is owed to the party on Feb. 17.
The Liberal Party will host one English debate and one French debate, but only after the Feb. 17 fee deadline to stay in the race, Mr. Lund told The Globe.
Ms. Freeland had called for four debates during the race.