Carney, Freeland, Arya file paperwork to officially run for the Liberal leadership

OTTAWA — Liberal leadership candidates Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland and Chandra Arya have submitted their paperwork to the party and have officially entered the race.

They submitted the required 300 signatures from registered Liberals and a $50,000 deposit ahead of Thursday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline.

Government House leader Karina Gould’s campaign team said she plans to get her papers and deposit in by the deadline. Former Liberal MP Frank Baylis did not respond to inquiries.

Liberal MP Jaime Battiste also has indicated he plans to run for the leadership but it’s not clear how far he is in the process.

Carney spent Wednesday in Ottawa, where he was spotted on Parliament Hill in the morning and later on the Rideau Canal skating with Liberal MP Adam van Koeverden.

The Canadian Press asked Carney for an update on his policy platform regarding consumer carbon pricing.

Carney secured the endorsement of Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on Tuesday. Guilbeault indicated he was open to replacing consumer carbon pricing with another policy to fight climate change.

“When you look at something like carbon pricing… first and foremost it’s making this economy more competitive, more sustainable jobs. It’s helping us do our bit on climate change. It’s also making sure that Canadians come out ahead right now, and then in the future,” Carney told The Canadian Press.

“What you’re going to see from my campaign, my group, working with people like Steven (Guilbeault) and many others across this country, across the party, is a solution that works for everyone, addresses all those aspects. That’s cost of living, that’s jobs, that’s competitiveness, and that’s building the strongest economy in the G7.”

Officials working on the various campaigns are now focusing their attention on the Jan. 27 deadline for registering people with the party to allow them to vote for the new Liberal leader, who also becomes the next prime minister.

Candidates have been signing up new members to support their campaigns, but some campaigns don’t know whether those supporters are also registered to vote.

Two more candidates declared their intention to enter the race Wednesday: former Brampton MP Ruby Dhalla and Michael Clark, a self-described Christian community organizer and businessman who is campaigning to “make the party pro-life.”

On Wednesday, federal Housing Minister Nate Erskine-Smith said he’ll participate in the race as a supporter but hasn’t decided yet who he’ll endorse.

“I’m going to get involved one way or the other at some point. I was looking forward to the ideas that different candidates were putting forward,” Erskine-Smith said at his first announcement since joining cabinet last month.

“I’ve been encouraged by the number of serious people who have stepped up.”

Erskine-Smith said he valued Freeland as a colleague, adding Carney has done “a lot of good in his life” and Gould approaches politics with a generational perspective that he shares.

He also had words of praise for Baylis.

“Frank Baylis was a friend. I sat on committee with him. No one talks about him when different candidates get mentioned but this is a guy who built a billion-dollar company, who has financed award-winning films that addressed the exploitation of migrant workers,” Erskine-Smith said.

“I sometimes think of the Dos Equis (beer) commercial ‘The most interesting man in the world.’ No one knows about him but when they do, I think they’ll find that he’s kind of interesting.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press