By The Canadian Press

Karina Gould pitches policies as she officially enters race for Liberal leadership

Jan 23, 2025 | 3:45 PM

OTTAWA — Liberal leadership contender Karina Gould said Thursday she can pinpoint exactly when her party lost touch with Canadians — and it wasn’t that long ago.

Gould said her party ignored the pleas of struggling Canadians at the end of the pandemic as the cost of living was rising fast.

“It took us too long to understand that Canadians were struggling to make ends meet,” she said. “Instead of taking a moment to listen to Canadians, we said, ‘Here are all the great things we’re doing for you.’ And I don’t think that was the right approach.”

Gould made the comments at a press conference outside party headquarters in Ottawa shortly after submitting her official paperwork to enter the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Speaking with reporters, Gould quickly laid out some of her policy ideas and made her pitch to rejuvenate an ailing party.

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She said she thinks her Liberal government did not get the capital gains tax increase right, though she did not specify what was wrong about it.

Gould confirmed she would freeze the controversial carbon price at its current level but would not scrap it. The Conservatives have taken to calling her “Carbon Tax Karina” for her staunch support of the policy.

As for the limited GST holiday, which ends on Feb. 15, Gould said she would make it permanent for certain items for parents: children’s clothing, diapers, strollers and car seats.

And with an eye to the Quebec voters she’ll need to run a competitive campaign, she promised to include Bill C-282 — which takes supply management off the table for future trade negotiations — in her first throne speech.

Citing cabinet confidence, she said she will not reveal publicly what she told the prime minister and cabinet colleagues about the policies she’s questioning now when they were being introduced.

A host of caucus and cabinet members have lined up to back rival candidates Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland in recent days, giving them a major boost.

Carney, a former central banker with private sector experience in the finance world, is positioning himself as the best candidate to revitalize the economy. Freeland, the former finance minister, is angling to present herself as the candidate most capable of pushing back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade agenda.

Gould sought to bolster her own case on Trump’s tariff threats, arguing she’s best placed to take on the president “because I face bullies in the House of Commons every single day, stand up to them and win.”

Candidates only have until 5 p.m. Thursday to declare they will run — although the party can take up to ten days to confirm them as candidates.

Current Liberal MPs Chandra Arya and Jaime Battiste, and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis, have declared they intend to run. Brampton MP Ruby Dhalla announced her bid today, while outsider Michael Clark announced this week he wants to mount a bid to reopen the abortion debate in the party.

All must pay a steep $350,000 entry fee, with a $50,000 refundable deposit due Thursday. But it could still take time before the party confirms who is officially in the race.

“After receiving an application, the Party has within 10 days to approve a potential contestant for the race,” said Liberal party spokesperson Parker Lund. “Elections Canada will also need to approve, which can take a number of days.”

Gould has sought to stand out from a crowded pack as the youngest candidate — a millennial who can stick it out for the long run and rebuild the party.

She proposed more frequent policy conventions to encourage greater debate within the party and said she would work to breathe life into local party branches.

“We’ve been talking at you for too long,” she said.

Leadership contenders have four days left to sign up grassroots members who can vote in the race.

Liberals will elect their new leader on March 9.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press