Liberal member of Parliament Karina Gould is throwing her hat in the ring to be the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Gould, 37, became the latest person to announce their candidacy for Liberal party leadership Saturday afternoon, less than an hour after former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland also announced she was running.
Both Gould and Freeland announced their bids to replace Justin Trudeau as party leader in short social media posts.
In her announcement, Gould acknowledged the need for the Liberal party to earn back the trust of Canadians.
“We need to rebuild our party so that we can keep building our country. We need new leadership to fight for everyday Canadians,” Gould said. “A leader who understands what people are going through and works every day to make their lives better.”
In her video, Gould spoke about the pride of being a Canadian amid comments from the incoming U.S. president that Canada should become an American state.
“We are a strong, hard-working and caring people who do not back down from fighting for what is right. Canada can be the best place in the world to start a family, grow a business and build a future,” she said.
Gould is a three-time member of Parliament for Burlington, Ont., and was first elected in 2015. She has served as leader of the government in the House of Commons since 2023
Before becoming the government’s House leader, Gould served in several ministries, including as president of the Queen’s Privy Council, minister of democratic institutions, minister of international development, and minister of families, children and social development.
Before her election, she worked as a trade and investment specialist for the Mexican Trade Commission in Toronto and as a consultant for the Migration and Development Program at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C.
Karina Gould, leader of the government in the House of Commons rises during question period, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld.
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Gould lives in Burlington with her husband and two children.
With the birth of her son, Gould became the first woman federal cabinet minister to give birth while holding office.
Along with Gould and Freeland, the other candidates for the top Liberal job are former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, Ottawa-area MP Chandra Arya and Former Liberal MP and businessman Frank Baylis.
—with files from Global News’ Uday Rana