Politics

Liberal Party approves 6 candidates to run in leadership race

The Liberal Party of Canada has officially approved six out of the seven candidates who submitted their nomination papers to run in the leadership race to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Former central banker Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste, former government House leader Karina Gould, former Brampton MP Ruby Dhalla, and former Montreal MP Frank Baylis have all been given the green light to compete for the top position within the party.

Despite being confirmed by the Liberal Party, the candidates still need to be approved by Elections Canada before they can officially enter the race. This news comes shortly after Nepean MP Chandra Arya was informed by the party that he would not be permitted to run in the contest. Arya, who was the first sitting MP to launch a leadership campaign, faced criticism for his stance on the monarchy and his lack of proficiency in French.

In order to qualify as candidates, individuals had to submit a nomination package by the deadline, which included signatures from 300 registered Liberals and a $50,000 refundable deposit. The approved candidates are now required to pay a total entry fee of $350,000 in four installments leading up to the March 9 vote.

Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland are currently considered the frontrunners in the leadership race, having secured the most caucus endorsements. Carney recently released a campaign video targeting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, while Freeland has announced plans to reverse changes to the capital gains tax and eliminate the consumer carbon tax if elected.

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Freeland has also pledged to reform the party’s constitution to allow for leadership reviews, a move aimed at giving grassroots members and caucus more say in decision-making processes. With the race heating up and candidates beginning to unveil their policies, the Liberal leadership race is set to be a closely watched and highly contested event leading up to the final vote in March.

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