Photo from: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg62lvr845o
On January 6th, 2025, Justin Trudeau announced his intention to resign as the Canadian Prime Minister and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. His resignation will take effect in March, following an election on March 9th within the Liberal Party where they will choose their next party leader and, for what will likely be a very short period, the next Prime Minister of Canada. From their period of election until a non-confidence vote is passed and a federal election is completed, whoever wins the Liberal leadership race will also act as Prime Minister. While a non-confidence vote is expected to be initiated shortly after parliament reconvenes following their prorogation requested by Prime Minister Trudeau, the winner of this leadership race will still be leading the country through some very tumultuous times.
Donald Trump has threatened a 25% tariff across the board on all Canadian products. Canada appears to be divided after Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta refused to sign off on a federal joint statement between Prime Minister Trudeau and the other Premiers responding to President Trump’s threats. People across the country are feeling the effects of rising inflation and are fearful for what the future may hold. The victor of the Liberal leadership race will be responsible for navigating Canada – even if only for a short time – through these crises. This has given Canadians across the country, including students at Acadia, a unique opportunity to directly influence who the next Prime Minister of Canada is and how they will guide us through these major global events.
While numerous figures within the Liberal Party have toyed with running in the leadership race, three frontrunners have emerged. Mark Carney was the first to launch his campaign for Liberal leadership, officially joining the race on Thursday, January 16th in his hometown of Edmonton. Carney, a self-proclaimed “outsider” in the Liberal party who has never held political office before, served as the governor of the Bank of Canada guiding Canada through the 2008 financial crisis. He has also served as the governor of the Bank of England, guiding their economy through the Brexit crisis. Carney is running on a campaign focused on maintaining the economic prosperity of the nation, and he promises Canadians that he is someone who will help the country weather the economic troubles it may face in its uncertain future. Following Carney’s bid, Government House leader Karina Gould announced that she was joining the race on Saturday, January 18th in her hometown of Burlington, Ontario. Gould, a 37-year-old working mother, wants to bring a generational change to the Liberal party of Canada, and as the youngest of the three frontrunners in this leadership race, she claims that she will bring the change Canadians want to see. The last of the three frontrunners to join the race was former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who announced her bid in Toronto on January 19th. Freeland, who has been relatively unheard from following her resignation from Prime Minister Trudeau’s cabinet in December of 2024, tells Canadians that she is the best candidate for the job as she has already taken on President Trump before, and she came out victorious in those negotiations. Freeland was key in overseeing the re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2017 after President Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian goods. She promises that she will stand up to him again, and that she will guide the country through these difficult times.
You have the ability to have a say in who becomes the next leader of the Liberal party and the next Prime Minister of Canada. Those registered as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada by 6:00pm AST (5:00pm EST) on January 27th will be able to vote in the leadership vote occurring on March 9th. The requirements to be a member of a political party are not the same as the requirements to vote in Canada; in fact, more people are eligible to join a political party than they are to vote in Canada. To register as a member of the Liberal party of Canada, you must be at least fourteen (14) years of age, be either a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, and you cannot be a member of any other federal political parties. This means that if you are a permanent resident of Canada or are between the ages of fourteen to seventeen (14-17) years of age, you could have a unique opportunity to have an influence of the leadership of Canada! Those interested can visit the Liberal Party of Canada’s website (https://liberal.ca) for more information and to register as a member of the party. Remember, you must register before 6:00pm AST on January 27th to be eligible to vote in the leadership vote.
