Liberals to declare new leader on March 9, promise to remove 'fraudulent' registrations

The Liberal Party has said it will declare its new leader on March 9.

Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation Monday, has prorogued Parliament until March 24.

When Parliament reopens, the new leader of the Liberals – who will also be the new prime minister – is expected to face a confidence vote, with all opposition parties promising to vote down the Grits’ minority government.

Those hoping to become the party’s new leader will have to declare their intentions by Jan. 23 and pay a $350,000 fee for the privilege.

The Liberal Party of Canada is aware of these ridiculous, fraudulent registration attempts.⁰ ⁰The national Party Secretary has the ability to remove registrants from our lists, and will be removing these fraudulent profiles well in advance of any leadership vote. pic.twitter.com/dsL0fScZnp

— Parker Lund (@ParkerLund) January 9, 2025

The party said on Thursday that it was committed to “protecting the integrity of our democratic process.”

To vote in the election, members must now be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, a new requirement.

They must also be at least 14.

The party had previously been criticized for allowing foreign students and other non-permanent residents to vote in its leadership elections.

But that didn’t stop people posting on social media to show how they’d succeeded in registering for the party despite putting their address as the Chinese consulate or the prime minister’s residence in Ottawa.

Responding to those “ridiculous, fraudulent registration attempts,” the party’s communications director, Parker Lund, posted on X that the Liberals “will be removing these fraudulent profiles well in advance of any leadership vote.”

Among those expected to put their hat into the ring for the Liberal leadership are former central banker Mark Carney, former BC premier Christy Clark and various serving MPs including Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould.

In a press conference on Thursday, Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre the leading contenders, putting the epithet “Carbon Tax” in front of their names and saying “they’re all just like Justin.”

He added that, no matter who the Liberals choose, he “will be running against Justin Trudeau.”