Liberals choose their leader today, after campaign defined by chaos of Trump administration

Catharine Tunney · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Tonight the Liberal Party volition denote its adjacent person and the idiosyncratic who volition soon go premier curate — a occupation they'll inherit amid economical turbulence and a profoundly wounded narration with the country's erstwhile closest ally.

The party's prime — who would go premier curate lone aft being sworn successful by the Governor General — not lone represents a caller section for the Liberals but could besides mean the imminent commencement of a national election.

CBC News volition bring special coverage of the historical lawsuit opening astatine 4 p.m. ET.

Those vying for the occupation are erstwhile cardinal banker Mark Carney, erstwhile concern curate and existent MP Chrystia Freeland, erstwhile House person and existent MP Karina Gould and Montreal concern person and erstwhile MP Frank Baylis.

The comparatively abbreviated leadership race was triggered erstwhile Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced successful aboriginal January his intention to measurement down following mounting caucus revolt and the resignation of Freeland from cabinet.

At the time, the enactment was successful a heavy polling slump, trailing Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives by much than 20 points. Recent polling suggests the Liberals are bouncing back. Whoever wins volition beryllium nether unit to prolong that momentum.

The run has seen candidates determination distant from Trudeau-era policies similar the c taxation and changes to the superior gains tax, portion putting their ain rotation connected however to woody with the lodging situation and marque beingness much affordable for Canadians.

But home issues person been overshadowed by the existential menace that U.S. President Donald Trump poses. The contention mostly became a question of who would beryllium champion to handle the fallout of his tariffs and threats. 

After astir 2 months of campaigning and 2 debates, that determination is present successful the hands of thousands of registered Liberals. Eligible voters person been capable to formed their ballots for implicit a week and person until 3 p.m. ET to get their votes in.

How volition the enactment tally up the votes? 

While overmuch has been said astir however Carney — who has amassed the astir caucus support, pulled successful the astir wealth and is the main people of the Conservatives — is the front-runner, the 4 campaigns' get-out-the ballot efforts volition play a relation tonight.

The Liberals are utilizing a ranked ballot and a constituent strategy to find the winner. Every riding (there are present 343 aft bound changes) is worthy 100 points, meaning 34,300 points are up for grabs. The candidates are assigned points depending connected what percent of the ballot they get successful each riding. 

The person indispensable triumph a bulk of the full points. The magic fig is 17,151.

Party members tin take up to 4 radical for leader, ranking their preferences from archetypal to last.

If no candidate reaches the 17,151 threshold successful the archetypal round, the idiosyncratic with the fewest points is eliminated and the ballots get counted again. If that's the case, points volition beryllium reassigned based connected members' 2nd choices.

That process volition proceed until a victor emerges.

One of the archetypal questions for the victor volition beryllium whether they program to instantly trigger an predetermination oregon hold until Parliament returns March 24.  

Sunday's lawsuit is being beryllium held successful Ottawa and Trudeau and erstwhile premier curate Jean Chrétien are slated to talk to the crowd.

Just a fewer days ago, Trudeau said helium expects the modulation to his successor to hap "in the coming days oregon week." 

The Liberal Party constricted voting to Canadians and imperishable residents, citing overseas interference concerns. 

To ballot successful this race, registered Liberals had to get an physics elector ID, past verify that ID online. They past had to corroborate their presumption arsenic an eligible voter. After that they had to corroborate their individuality utilizing the Canada Post Identity+ app oregon successful idiosyncratic astatine a participating station office.

That strategy has been plagued by irritants, with members complaining they've been incapable to get the process to work, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to the mobile app and in-person enactment to verify their identity.

The enactment said the strategy for the Liberal enactment is "the astir unafraid and accessible voting process successful Canadian history."