Liberal Party of Canada leadership candidate Mark Carney delivers a speech as he's introduced during the Liberal leadership announcement in Ottawa on Sunday, March 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

By Victor Kaisar

New Liberal Leader

Mark Carney elected new Liberal Party of Canada leader

Mar 9, 2025 | 3:55 PM

OTTAWA — Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, who raised millions of dollars more than his opponents, has been elected the new leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Carney beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, former Government House Leader Karina Gould and Montreal businessman and former MP Frank Baylis.

The 59-year-old Carney got 85.9 per cent of the vote and won the leadership on the first ballot. Freeland was second with eight per cent of the vote, while Gould and Baylis had 3.2 and three per cent respectively.

Back in 2013, outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also won the Liberal leadership on the first ballot when he secured 80.09 per cent of the vote. Trudeau was elected Prime Minster with a majority government in 2015, and reelected in 2019 and 2021 with minority governments.

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Trudeau announced on Jan. 6 that he would step down as leader due to intense internal pressure that he leaves for the good of his party — as his unpopularity sank the Liberals in the polls.

But the party has since enjoyed a big bounceback ahead of a soon-to-come federal election, which has to be held by Oct. 20.

Liberal Party members also paid tribute to Trudeau at the leadership convention in Ottawa Sunday.

In his farewell speech, Trudeau said that freedom, democracy and Canada “are not a given,” amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of economic annexation and tariffs on Canadian imports coming into the States.

– With files from The Canadian Press