Ranking My Ballot: My Choice for Liberal Party Leader

With no preferred candidate from the outset, I wanted to approach this leadership race as an independent but opinionated voter. I have written many pieces about the race and kept track of the policy details for myself and any other voters who might be interested.

I’ve thought long and hard about my choice in this leadership race, evaluating the candidates as leaders and weighing the policies they have put forward, the political climate we find ourselves in, the organizational capacity of a long-in-power party prone to “governmentitis”, and my own first-hand experiences in politics over the last 15 years.

Since I haven’t been shy about sharing my opinions throughout the race, I’ve decided to continue with this openness when it comes to who I’m supporting. But before I do, I want to make a few key points.

1. My vote is based on my own priorities and what I think are the most important qualities the next leader should possess. If you want to weigh in on my opinions, fill your boots. But I’ve already voted.
2. I don’t expect other members to share all of my priorities or arrive at the same conclusion I have. The great thing about being individuals in a (weighted) one-member-one-vote is we all get to have our own say in this election.
3. Regardless of who wins, each of the Liberal leadership candidates would make a much better Prime Minister than Pierre Poilievre. While all the candidates have shortcomings, my vote isn’t against any of them — it’s for the candidate I think best represents how we should define our movement as we enter this new era.

THE LEADER AS THE LIBERAL STANDARD-BEARER

Progressive leadership and a modern take on a changing economic world

This entire leadership race was kicked off for one reason: the party was sinking in the polls and was facing certain annihilation on Election Day. Who we select as our next leader is our collective prescription for what we think went wrong and created such a gulf between our party and voters.

Those on the centre-right of the party see this moment as an opportunity to “return” the party to the centre under a new leader. Many of these same voices grumbled about the direction of the party the entire time Trudeau has been party leader but were willing to hold their noses in exchange for governing power. They’ve always wanted a return to 90s fiscal austerity that was justified then but simply won’t serve Canadians during the economic revolution we now face.

Progressive DNA

With the exception of the 90s, when Chretien faced a divided conservative movement, the history of the Liberal Party has always been progressive.

Massive spending on post-war housing under King. Pensions and hospital insurance under St. Laurent. Universal health care under Pearson. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms under Pierre Trudeau. The Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau has built on all of that and fundamentally cemented its progressive nature over the last decade.

Trudeau has been the most progressive Prime Minister in Canadian history and history will ultimately be kind to him in the decades ahead. While he may be unpopular right now, I don’t think that means the progressivism he’s pushed has gone out of fashion alongside him. The party’s rebound in the polls should be proof of that.

Economic and Social Progress

For me, the fundamental mistake the Liberal Party has made over the last few years was failing to see economic and social progress as two sides of the same coin.

I don’t simply mean that when there is economic growth there will be social benefit, as Carney has suggested. Or that the social safety net will deliver economic growth, as Trudeau has said. I mean that a progressive political party must make the argument for both pillars at the same time and not just suggest one will be a trickle-down outcome of the other. We have to do both.

Gould gets this. She brings everything back to the traditional (and electorally successful) Liberal one-two punch of delivering policy change that boosts the family budget while offering that same family a strong social safety net for the moments they fall behind.

She would cut taxes for families while raising them on corporations to pay for it. She would make it easier for families to afford the basics while expanding the family benefit programs that help make paycheques stretch a little farther.

The Looming Economic Revolution

We are entering a new economic era unlike any we’ve seen before that will make the Industrial Revolution and the dawn of the Information Age look like minor blips.

Since Trudeau has always offered a robust social policy platform, but struggled with his economic message, the candidates have largely focused on their records as economic stewards. They’ve only leaned into this further thanks to the economic threat posed by Trump and his tariffs.

Baylis has touted his business experience, Carney his bureaucratic experience, and Freeland her ministerial experience. But to me all that experience is drawn from an economic reality that is quickly disappearing and will not be coming back. We are entering a new economic epoch unlike we’ve ever seen before. We need a leader that is ready to meet this new era and our economic future head-on.

Gould understands this. That’s why she’s proposing we look into adopting a basic income in Canada. Like the other candidates, she understands the opportunity of rapidly integrating AI into our government and economy. But unlike them, she also recognizes what that will mean for working people whose jobs and the incomes that support them are already being disrupted.

I’m biased towards the idea of a basic income. Nine years ago this spring, I stood next to my bosses, Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister for Poverty Reduction Chris Ballard, as they launched the province’s basic income pilot. Back then, the Trudeau government wasn’t interested in joining us in studying how we could simplify government benefit programs while ensuring there would be a substantial and durable safety net in place for large swaths of workers as the economy rapidly modernized.

Nearly a decade has passed and no government in Canada has moved any closer to addressing the job losses and income crashes that economic modernization promises to bring. Carney talks about smaller government and productivity. Freeland about how we just have to beat Trump and diversify our trade. Baylis about how we should invest in business and tech. But you can’t tinker your way around the margins of an economic revolution. You have to create a revolutionary response of your own. Basic income is that revolutionary idea.

The fact that Gould is pursuing this idea and other bold policy prescriptions for the rapidly changing world we face suggests to me that she’s the candidate that really gets that we’re entering a whole new world unlike one we’ve ever seen or that decades of out-of-date experience can solve. What we need in our next leader is vision. Gould has it.

THE LEADER AS INSTANT-PM:

Ready to tackle the existential threats of autocracy, climate change, and a collapsing economic system

Whoever wins on March 9 will almost immediately become the Prime Minister. They may choose or be forced into a general election almost immediately after. But whether they begin to govern this March, this October, or somewhere in between, they still need a plan, and they need to share it with voters.

Autocracy, Climate, and Economic Collapse

We’re now in an autocratic age where the planet is reeling and a decades-old economic reality is collapsing. To navigate this new era successfully, our leaders have to be smart, strong, and innovative.

They can’t ignore the damage the autocrats cause in order to maintain calm, collegial negotiations. But they also can’t become completely consumed by the disruptions the autocrats create to keep the rest of us off-balance. Both approaches let the autocrats steer the world.

We need a bold third way where Canada uses the rapidly changing nature of the world and its politics to our advantage to punch above our weight and invest in our own future. When I look at the policies the candidates have put forward, Gould is the one that seems best poised to deliver a forward-looking economy that supports innovators and outpaces other nations when it comes to modernization.

She would expand government-backed loan guarantees of up to $500K-$1M per entrepreneur through the Business Development Bank of Canada. Allow eligible EI recipients to receive a German-style lump sum payment to start or acquire a business. Create a targeted fund for entrepreneurs launching businesses in high-growth sectors such as AI, green technology, and biotech. And reduce bureaucratic friction in SME transitions by cutting red tape and expediting business ownership transfer processes.

She would develop funding and support networks for businesses focusing on sustainability and energy innovation. Establish a dedicated stream for skilled immigrants looking to acquire and scale businesses in Canada. And create a National Housing Material Strategic Reserve to ensure we are able to building housing for every person that’s helping to drive our economy forward. It’s a plan that looks forward, not back.

THE LEADER AS CHIEF CAMPAIGNER:

An accessible speaker ready to build a new political movement and win

Our next leader has to be an accessible speaker who can craft and deliver strong messages and understands that leading a political party is about growing a movement, not expanding their resume.

It’s probably no secret that one of my top priorities for the new leader of the party is that they are an effective communicator and know how to develop effective key messaging. While Trudeau is a great communicator, he dropped the ball on communicating things like the carbon tax. We need a leader who can do both.

Based on how the candidates have communicated in this campaign, and especially during the debates, the consensus is that Gould is the most talented and effortless communicator of the bunch. I agree. Most importantly, her skills don’t end there.

Growing a Political Movement

Political roles should not be a prize but a tool for delivering needed change. Political involvement should be an act of service followed by an act of mentorship.

While Carney’s slogan is “it’s time to build”, he has no political experience and has largely inherited his campaign from Trudeau and members of his team looking for their next gig. Carney hasn’t built much of anything yet and his lack of experience in politics could lead him to hand off party-building to the same crew that allowed the party’s internal infrastructure to decay over a decade in government at a time when it needs real renewal.

Gould built her campaign from the ground up in just a matter of weeks. Official donation reports show her in second in fundraising despite not having toyed with the idea of running for Prime Minister for months (or years) like some of her opponents. She’s also pulled together a campaign team that first began walking the halls of political power in this century.

I have always said that parties win campaigns when there is a generational change in the volunteers and staffers powering them. That is not a comment on age but on experience, longevity, and understanding of the times we live in.

Political roles should not be a prize but a tool for delivering needed change. Political involvement should be an act of service followed by an act of mentorship. Ushering in new blood updates the perspective of the campaign and helps to meet the changing times we live in. Gould’s campaign reflects this needed approach.

The Electability Question

Carney is the only candidate for leadership who has never been elected. Gould, in contrast, flipped her riding by beating a conservative incumbent who had held it for a decade.

One of the most often cited reasons some Liberals are backing Carney is that he is the most electable. It’s kind of funny when you think about how Carney is the only candidate for leadership who has never been elected. Gould, in contrast, flipped her riding by beating a conservative incumbent who had held it for a decade.

The party’s sudden rise in the polls has more to do with Trudeau stepping down, than anything. A distant second is an increasing fear of how the Trump administration will hurt our country, especially if a like-minded Poilievre conservative government is elected alongside it.

Many early polls during this leadership race showed that Carney was the leading candidate when it came to boosting the party’s prospects in the next election. But as voting opens in this leadership race, the party is now polling ahead of the conservatives for the first time since the last election, and doing so regardless of who becomes the next leader.

For me, that means I can safely rank Carney second and vote my values in this leadership race, backing the bold, progressive, and forward-looking candidate I think will reshape the party into a movement ready to take on a new era.

Karina Gould For Liberal Leader

From the outset, this race has been called a coronation. Some are okay with that, wanting the simplest route to victory in the next campaign. They argue that the race that elected Justin Trudeau was also a coronation, and that turned out pretty well. But so was the one that came before it. The leader of that race lost badly in 2011 and is currently working as a professor in Austria. So coronations can be a mixed bag.

It’s better to evaluate the candidates on their merits and what they bring to the party. With Gould, that’s strong communication skills, bold policy ideas, a deep understanding of the challenges ahead, a life-long dedication to the party, and a commitment to leading this movement for years to come. For all those reasons, I have ranked Karina Gould first on my ballot and encourage you to do the same.

Theresa has served as the Communications Coordinator for the Ontario Liberal Party, the VP Communications for the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission, the Director of Communications to Ontario Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, and an election speechwriter for former Premier Kathleen Wynne. As a member of ‘Team Neutral’, she helped manage the 2013 and 2020 OLP Leadership races.