A slate of Liberal leadership hopefuls have passed the first hurdle, submitting the required paperwork and paying the first instalment of the entry fee by the 5 p.m. EST deadline on January 23.
Those who are now officially in the running to take over for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are Chandra Arya, Frank Baylis, Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould, Jaime Battiste, and Ruby Dhalla.
Arya, who represents Nepean in the House of Commons, was among the first to announce his run for prime minister. In the weeks since, the self-admitted monolingual has struggled to gain support from Liberals in Quebec.
Baylis, a businessman who served as MP for Pierrefonds-Dollard from 2015-2019, was next to announce his desire to be Canada's next prime minister. His campaign focused on the economy, and he vowed to use his experience in the private sector to ensure success for all Canadians.
Carney, a former Bank of Canada governor and Liberal financial advisor, threw his hat in the ring not long after. He has branded himself as an "outsider," though many have pushed back on that claim given his extensive history in Canadian politics.
Freeland, who served as deputy prime minister and finance minister under Trudeau before leaving Cabinet, touted the fact that Donald Trump "doesn't like [her] very much," and immediately took aim at Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. She has tried to distance herself from Trudeau's legacy.
Gould, who serves as leader of the government in the House of Commons of Canada, launched her campaign by vowing to "rebuild" the party. She touted her lifetime of experience as a Liberal as evidence that she was right for the job.
Battiste, who serves as member of parliament for Sydney-Victoria, centred around his indigenous identity and what having a leader of his background would mean for issues such as reconciliation. If chosen, Battiste would be Canada's first indigenous prime minister.
Ruby Dhalla, a businesswoman who served as MP for Brampton-Springdale from 2004-2011, was the last to enter the race. She touted the fact that she had actually run a business, and said she'd like to see Canada have its first Indian-Canadian prime minister.
According to the CBC, 37 members of the Liberal caucus have endorsed Carney, while 25 have thrown their support behind Freeland. Gould has received two endorsements.