Liberal leadership candidates will need to pay a $350K entrance fee

CTV National News: Search for next leader Minister Steve MacKinnon is the latest Liberal MP to announce they won't be running for leadership of the party. Colton Praill reports.

OTTAWA — The Liberal Party of Canada released its leadership race rules late Thursday, just days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will be resigning as party leader once a successor is selected.

In a press release, the party says a new leader will be picked on March 9. Leadership contestants must also declare by Jan. 23 and will be required to pay an entrance fee of $350,000, giving potential candidates limited time to fundraise.

The fee is a significant jump from the $75,000 fee in the previous leadership race.

“You want to set a high-entry fee so you discourage also-rans, so you discourage carpet baggers and you discourage special interest groups,” CTV News political analyst Scott Reid said, who also worked with former prime minister Paul Martin.

“You want (candidates) to be people who can step up to the plate, communicate and connect with Canadians and demonstrate they can be the next prime minister.”

Whoever wins the leadership will have just two weeks in their new job before the House of Commons is set to return on March 24. On Monday, in the wake of his resignation announcement, Trudeau asked Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to prorogue the current session of Parliament until late March – ending all parliamentary business.

The new leader could also quickly face a general election, as opposition parties have signalled they will move to bring down the Liberal government at the first opportunity.

Registered voters must be Canadian citizens

Leading up to Thursday’s rules announcement, many MPs expressed concerns around preventing foreign interference and finding ways to preserve the integrity of the race.

In an interim report by foreign interference inquiry Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue published last May, allegations of potential interference in a Liberal nomination race were detailed, during which busloads of international students were alleged to have voted in the contest in support of a particular candidate, at the direction of foreign officials.

The Liberal Party of Canada constitution does not appear to explicitly exclude international students or non-permanent residents from voting in such races.

But in the upcoming race, the Liberal party says it will be updating the requirements to become a registered Liberal as a way to protect “the integrity of our democratic process, while still engaging as many people as possible.”

To be a registered Liberal voter, a person must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or have status under the Indian Act. Registered voters must also be 14 years old and not be a member of any other federal political party in Canada.

Liberal-Ontario MP Chandra Arya and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis declared they intend to step into the race, prior to the release of the leadership race rules.

Thursday’s announcement did not specify whether sitting cabinet ministers have to vacate their portfolios to run for the top job.

Cabinet ministers including Francois-Philippe Champagne, Jonathan Wilkinson, Steven MacKinnon and Karina Gould are considering a run.

Former Liberal national campaign director Penny Collenette says she does not believe a cabinet minister will have an “unfair advantage.”

“It's a fast race, so I'm not sure what a cabinet minister, somebody holding a cabinet position, can do in a couple of weeks that would give them an unfair advantage,” Collenette said in an interview with CTV News. “It can also be a hindrance because they have to spend time as well on their cabinet duties. So it's a bit of a double-edged sword.”

Other possible contenders include former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney and former B.C. premier Christy Clark.

Sources tell CTV News that Carney is expected to announce his bid next week, while Clark is expected to make a formal decision in the coming days.

On Friday, just 12 hours after the rules were announced, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly announced she would not run, saying she is “putting my country first” amid Donald Trump’s looming tariff threat.

Asked about the leadership race rules, Joly said “I think the leadership roles are good, actually. That's why it was such a difficult choice.”

With files from CTV News' Judy Trinh, Spencer Van Dyk and Vassy Kapelos