Canada PM Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party to elect new leader on March 9

Fri Jan 10 08:13:57 UTC 2025: ## Freeland and Carney Eye Liberal Leadership Race as Trudeau Steps Down

**OTTAWA** – The Canadian Liberal Party will hold a leadership convention on March 9th to choose a successor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation earlier this week. The move comes amidst dismal poll numbers showing the Liberals trailing the Conservatives significantly ahead of the next federal election, expected by October 2025.

The party’s National Board of Directors finalized the rules for the leadership race Thursday, setting a January 27th deadline for registration and requiring candidates to pay a $350,000 CAD entry fee.

Early frontrunners are reportedly former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, according to The Globe and Mail. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne are still reportedly considering their options.

Trudeau, who will remain Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen, cited pressure from within the party and poor polling numbers as reasons for his departure after nine years in office. Parliament will be suspended until March 24th, making an early election unlikely. Recent polls show the Conservatives leading by a substantial margin, suggesting a significant challenge for the Liberal Party regardless of its new leader.