When asked which current MP should take over the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, Canadians were most likely to choose “none of the above.”
Pollsters contacted1,045 Canadians in a survey conducted by Nanos Research and commissioned by CTV News between Dec. 30, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025 – the week before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announced plan to resign once a replacement is selected.
Trudeau was included on the poll’s list as a candidate to remain as leader of the party. Other options were Chrystia Freeland, Mark Carney, Mélanie Joly, Christy Clark, François Philippe-Champagne, Dominic LeBlanc, Anita Anand, and Sean Fraser. However, the most popular pick for Canadians was “none of the above.”
Following Trudeau’s resignation, Conservative MP Dan Albas joked about who was taking the early lead in the party’s leadership contest.
It's interesting that "none of the above" has taken an early lead… pic.twitter.com/ezcohrdF9Q
— Dan Albas MP (@DanAlbas) January 6, 2025
Senator Denise Batters joined in on the mockery.
“None of the Above” is the Most Appealing Liberal Leadership Candidate!
— Sen. Denise Batters (@denisebatters) January 6, 2025
(Nanos poll on CTV) #Pierre4PM pic.twitter.com/xKVEys2s64
Despite the survey being conducted only a week before Trudeau’s resignation, the same survey was given to Canadians on four previous occasions.
In the most recent rendition, Chrystia Freeland came in second place behind “None of the above.” Following her was Mark Carney and “unsure.” Trudeau was tied with “other” in fifth place, with 6% of Canadians selecting each of those options.
Sean Fraser and Anita Anand were tied for last place, gaining 2% of respondents’ approval.
None of the above was the top choice in every one of the survey’s previous renditions.
Other options saw variations, but Trudeau generally hovered around 10%, reaching a record low in the Jan. 2025 edition of the survey.
A separate poll saw Trudeau ring in the New Year facing record-low approval ratings, where the Liberal party polled worse than at any point in its 157-year history.
Conversely, the Conservatives saw an all-time high number of Canadians intend to vote for them over the survey’s decade-long history.
Per the Liberal Party of Canada’s constitution, once a leader announced their intention to resign, the party’s board of directors set a date for a leadership vote.
Candidates must apply to run for the party’s leadership at least 90 days before a vote. At least 300 party members from three provinces must sign a candidate’s application.
The party must also publish registration procedures for party members to participate in the vote.
Therefore, a Liberal leadership election must be at least 117 days long, per the constitution.
Trudeau’s request to prorogue Parliament until Mar. 24 was granted to provide the Liberal Party time to select a new leader.
Unless the party disregards its constitution, a Liberal leader is unlikely to be chosen before Parliament resumes.
