The next Liberal leader—and Canada’s next prime minister—will be chosen Mar. 9.
The Liberal Party of Canada announced Thursday that its leadership election would conclude on Mar. 9, just two months later, with the winner announced on the same day.
Contestants for the leadership race must declare their participation by Jan. 23. To join, they’ll be forced to fork over an entrance fee of $350,000.
Anyone hoping to vote in the leadership election must become a registered party member by Jan. 27. The party said it must post the registration procedures for the vote at least 27 days before it occurs.
The Liberals have also implemented membership restrictions so only Canadian citizens and permanent residents over the age of 14 will be able to join the party and vote in the leadership election. This brings their rules into alignment with those of the Conservative Party of Canada.
True North previously reported that the Liberal party’s membership rules left the party vulnerable to foreign interference, because anyone—regardless of citizenship or residency status—was permitted to take out a membership, including international students.
“Protecting the integrity of our democratic process, while still engaging as many people as possible, is one of the Liberal Party of Canada’s top priorities,” reads a release from the party.
Political scientist and former Conservative Party of Canada leadership election organizing committee chair Ian Brodie told True North that something needed to change, considering China’s past meddling in the Liberal nomination process.
“Yes, there are good reasons to worry about the Liberal rules. The party has done nothing to clean up the rules that allowed Chinese diplomats to bus Chinese students studying in Canada to Han Dong’s nomination meeting. In fact, they seem to think this is a model for how Liberal decisions should be made,” Brodie told True North.
Various Canadians on X showcased how easy it was to register as Liberals ahead of the leadership race. Numerous users registered under fake aliases like their dogs and using fake addresses, such as the Prime Minister’s residence.
One user signed up as Xi Jinping, the President of the People’s Republic of China, while another signed up from an IP in Europe.
Anyone who is a member of another federal political party in Canada cannot become a registered member of the Liberals. Also, the press release said that members must “support the purposes of the party.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would resign once a successor is chosen. Therefore, if the Liberals’ leadership election goes as planned, Canada will have a new Prime Minister by Mar. 9.
Parliament is prorogued until Mar. 24, meaning Canada’s new leader will have two weeks to ready their troops for a potential non-confidence vote upon its resumption.
