With Justin Trudeau out of the picture, the prospect of a female Liberal leader has grown, with MP Chrystia Freeland and former BC premier Christy Clark rumoured to be potential contenders.With the party's support at a new low, however, the prime minister's decision to prorogue rather than call an election and take the fall himself could set his successor up for almost certain failure.Per the Liberal Party constitution, those seeking the leadership position must submit a written nomination to the president at least 90 days before the vote takes place. Even if that were done today, the earliest a decision could be made is April 6. The proroguing period is set to end on March 24, at which point parliament will resume and business will continue. What happens next is anyone's guess. The Conservatives could launch yet another non-confidence vote and trigger a snap election, or the process could play out organically, sending Canadians to the polls in October.Either way, whoever takes over for Trudeau will face an uphill battle that, according to polling, is unlikely to be won. In other words, there's a high possibility that Canadians will witness a repeat of the Kim Campbell saga that played out in 1993.In February of that year, then-Progressive Conservative leader Brian Mulroney announced his resignation, and following a leadership race, Campbell was named his successor. She served as prime minister from June until October, at which point the PCs were crushed by Jean Chretien and the Liberals. Campbell was Canada's first, and only, female prime minister. To this day, a woman has never been elected to the highest office in the land.Nonetheless, Clark and Freeland could be among those who try their hands at first winning over Liberals and then the Canadian population..In a statement on X, Clark reacted to Trudeau's announcement, thanking him for "a lifetime of public service," and wishing him well."As a lifelong Liberal I look forward to joining tens of thousands of Canadians to choose our next Leader," she added. "This is the biggest opportunity in over a decade that we’ve had to grow our Party and welcome new Liberals — including Canadians concerned about the future of our country - let’s seize it!"In recent months, Clark's actions have given the impression that she wants the top job in Ottawa, hitting the campaign trail for Liberal candidates and posting messages that resemble those sent out by federal party leaders.She even told the CBC that she "would like to be part of the discussion about the future direction of the Liberal Party and the country.".In response to the prospect of Canada becoming the fifty-first state under President Donald Trump, for example, she made her feelings clear."NO!" she said. "It makes me want to fight for Canada. Fight for Canadian jobs and workers. Fight for a growing economy. Fight for freer trade and fight to diversify our export partners so we are less dependent on any one partner. I love the values that sustain this nation and I know there’s no greater blessing than to be able to call yourself a Canadian.".Freeland's reaction to Trudeau's announcement was brief, which is unsurprising given how the pair's relationship has disintegrated over the past few weeks, and did not include the same political bluster as Clark's. Nonetheless, her name has still been floated as a potential successor.Of the two, Clark has the upper hand. Freeland has been a Liberal MP since 2013, and served alongside Trudeau as deputy prime minister for the past five years. As a result, for many Canadians she is inextricably linked to the soon-to-be-former leader's legacy. Clark, however, benefits from being a relative newcomer — someone who can claim to be taking the party in a new direction instead of staying the course. She served as premier of BC for six years after a decade and a half as a member of the provincial legislature. Clark's reign ended in 2017, when she resigned as BC Liberal leader after losing to the BC NDP, which went on to form government with the BC Greens.Should either of the aforementioned women run, the all-but-certain trouncing of the Liberals at the hands of the Conservatives in this year's federal election could end up being another setback to Canada ever having a female prime minister.If Clark or Freeland suffer the same fate as Campbell, it will mark the second time a male prime minister has sacrificed someone of the other gender instead of admitting defeat like a man. The fact that Trudeau has long claimed to be a feminist would make the scenario all the more ironic.