Government House leader Karina Gould has announced her candidacy for the Liberal leadership race.
She is the only cabinet minister to join the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Gould made the announcement on Jan. 18 with a video posted on social media.
“It’s time for a new generation of leadership. I’m here for Canada and for you today, tomorrow and for years to come,” the 37-year-old cabinet minister said in the post.
“I understand these past years haven’t just been hard, they’ve been exhausting. The economy, climate change, and what’s going on south of the border leave all of us feeling nervous about the future, “ she says at the beginning of the 2-minute video.
Gould said Canadians have lost faith in the Liberal Party, and the party needs to earn back that trust.
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“We need new leadership to fight for everyday Canadians, a leader who understands what people are going through and works every day to make their lives better, a leader with a track record of standing up to bullies, and a leader who won’t back down.”
She said that people have been tearing Canada down and saying it should become American, in an apparent reference to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s comment that he wants Canada to become the 51st state, though she did not name him.
“We are a strong, hard-working, and caring people who do not back down from fighting for what is right,” she said.
Gould said that under her leadership, the party could earn back the trust of Canadians and win the next election.
Cabinet Minister
Trudeau announced on Jan. 6 that he would be stepping down as party leader and prime minister once a replacement is chosen. He also asked the governor general to prorogue Parliament until March 24.
The party said the new leader will be announced on March 9. Candidates have been given until Jan. 23 to declare their intention to run. All candidates need to pay a $350,000 entrance fee.
A number of other current Trudeau government cabinet ministers had initially signalled they were interested in the post, or had been asked by their colleagues to become candidates, but later said they will not take part in the race. These include Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Transport Minister Anita Anand, and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.
Gould has been the Liberal government House leader since July 26, 2023, but took parental leave from Jan. 8, 2024, to July 30, 2024, and then resumed her role.
Her website says she is the youngest female cabinet minister in Canadian history.
Gould, who represents the riding of Burlington in Ontario, was first elected as an MP in 2015 and has served as the minister of families, children and social development, minister of international development, and minister of democratic institutions.
Prior to getting into politics, Gould worked as a trade and investment specialist for the Mexican Trade Commission in Toronto. She also held roles as a consultant for the Migration and Development Program at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C.
Candidates
Gould released her campaign video on the same day that former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland released her first campaign video. Freeland had announced her intention to run a day earlier, on Jan. 17.
Freeland resigned from her cabinet post on Dec. 16 after Trudeau told her she would be moved from her finance ministry role to another cabinet role. She said in her resignation letter that she was “at odds” with Trudeau over the government’s spending plan.
In her Jan. 18 video, Freeland focused on the possibility of U.S. tariffs, something that Trump said he would impose on Canada once he is in power, unless Canada stops the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States through their shared border.
Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney launched his bid for the leadership of the party on Jan. 16 from Edmonton, saying he will get Canada’s economy “back on track,” and that he’s the right person to deal with the Trump administration.
Carney also criticized the current Liberal government, saying it’s spending too much while taxing the middle class.
During an appearance on The Daily Show last week, Carney told host Jon Stewart that he is a political “outsider.”
The three join other Liberal leadership contenders, including Liberal MPs Chandra Arya and Jaime Battiste, as well as former Liberal MP Frank Baylis.
