The Liberal party will announce its new leader on March 9 and will restrict voting eligibility to citizens and permanent residents as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to step down.
The party’s national board of directors met Thursday evening to decide on the initial rules of the Liberal leadership contest that will choose Trudeau’s successor.
According to a press release from the Liberal party, the voting will conclude on March 9 and the new leader will be announced on the same day.
Party members have until Jan. 23 to enter their name in the leadership race. The entry fee is $350,000.
The cutoff date to become a member or registered supporter and be eligible to vote is Jan. 27.
The board also updated the requirements for who can vote in this leadership contest. Eligible voters must:
- be at least 14 years of age
- support the purposes of the party
- be a Canadian citizen, have status under the Indian Act, or be a permanent resident of Canada
- not be a member of any other federal political party in Canada; and
- while registered as a Liberal, not have publicly declared an intention to be a candidate for election to the House of Commons other than as a candidate of the party
Previous Liberal leadership races have required that someone “ordinarily reside in Canada” to be eligible to vote. The fact that the race is the first since the foreign interference inquiry highlighted vulnerabilities in leadership race processes means that previous criterion has been the subject of scrutiny.
After facing growing calls to resign, Trudeau announced on Monday that he will step down as the Liberal leader and the prime minister after the party chooses a successor.
“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” Trudeau said.
Parliament has been prorogued until March 24 to allow the Liberal party to hold a leadership contest.