Burlington MP Karina Gould gets boost from local young people after entering Liberal leadership race

A day after entering the Liberal leadership race, Burlington, Ont., MP and government House leader Karina Gould was cheered at a campaign launch party by local residents — including young people expressing hope the 37-year-old politician will represent their voices.

Gould confirmed Saturday afternoon, in a video posted to her social media, that she's running to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in March. Gould, who is the youngest candidate so far, joins contenders including former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, Ottawa MP Chandra Arya, former Montreal MP and businessman Frank Baylis, and Cape Breton, N.S., MP Jaime Battiste.

On Sunday, Gould was cheered at the event at District Kitchen + Bar on Plains Road in Burlington, where she grew up and has been MP since 2015.

WATCH | MP Lisa Hepfner and longtime Liberal voter on why they're behind Gould for Liberal leader:

MP Lisa Hepfner and a long time Liberal voter on why they're behind Karina Gould for Liberal leader

3 days ago

Duration 1:57

Hamilton Mountain Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner and a long time Liberal voter were on hand for Burlington MP Karina Gould's announcement that she would be running for the Liberal party's vacant leadership position. They explain why they're backing Gould.

"Hi Burlington. My name is Karina Gould and I'm running to be the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada," she said after walking out to Demi Lovato's Confident.

About 100 people were in attendance, including Gould supporter Patrick Sauriol, 25.

"She's personable, she is an incredible speaker, you can come talk to her and you can tell that she is listening, and I think that's something that's really important in a leader is someone who actually listens," Sauriol told CBC News.

Sauriol, who said he cast a ballot for Gould the first time he could vote, who previously volunteered on a campaign by Gould.

Sauriol said young voters are looking for someone like Gould who'll take what they have to say seriously.

"A lot of young people feel that politicians don't listen," he said.

Shelle Papin, a Hamilton resident also at Sunday's event, said she's been backing Gould since she was elected in 2015.

"I think she's done very well. She's very knowledgeable ... she has really taken on a variety of roles, especially dealing with the United States ... I just think she would make an excellent candidate."

Papin, who grew up in Burlington, said Canada and the Liberal Party should continue electing young leaders, like they did when Trudeau became Liberal head in his early 40s before being voted in as prime minister.

"We need young," she said.

Former Burlington member of provincial parliament (MPP) Eleanor McMahon and Hamilton Mountain MP Lisa Hepfner were also at Sunday's event.

Hepfner said she's been "so impressed" with Gould's work.

"I have the utmost respect for Chrystia Freeland. I think Mark Carney would also be a great leader ... but for me, the choice is clearly Karina," Hepfner said.

She said she respects the way Gould "handles a team and how she brings people together." Hepfner also said her constituents in Hamilton support Gould.

"I'm just excited for the rest of Canada to get to know her the way that we do here in this part of Ontario."

During her speech Sunday, Gould said it's time for a "new generation of leadership."

In an interview on CBC's Rosemary Barton Live that aired the same day, Gould said her age is "an asset."

"What I hear from people right across the country is that they are looking for something fresh, they are looking for new energy and they are looking for someone who is here not just today, but also tomorrow and for the long term," she told Barton.

As well as House leader, Gould has served as minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and minister of International Development.

On her MP website, Gould says she's a "lifelong Burlington resident," and prior to entering politics, she worked for the Mexican Trade Commission in Toronto, and consulted for the Migration and Development Program at the Organization of American States in Washington. 

'We have a big challenge ahead of us'

At the campaign party Sunday, Gould highlighted the importance of the bilingualism policy, calling it "a Liberal policy we should all be proud of." Gould switched from English to French throughout her speech. 

"I learned my French here in Burlington, at the immersion school in the public education system. My parents enrolled me in the school to learn French because they believed in the bilingualism of this country," she said in French.

She also repeated sentiments shared previously about dwindling faith in the Liberals.

"We have a big challenge ahead of us. Canadians have lost trust in our party and if we are going to be able to keep building our country, we must rebuild our party."

While answering questions from reporters on Sunday, Gould said Canada needs to present a united front to U.S. President Donald Trump amid tariff threats against Canada.

She also said Trump's presidency is not the only topic potential Liberal leaders need to be discussing.

"Canadians are still struggling ... with the cost of living," said Gould.

"We still have important work to do when it comes to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, we still have important work to do when it comes to fighting climate change, we still have important things to do when it comes to protecting who we are and our Canadian values."

WATCH | Gould says Trump won't listen to journalists and central bankers:

Freeland, Gould release campaign videos for Liberal leadership

5 days ago

Duration 4:50

Government House leader Karina Gould announced Saturday in a video posted to social media that she's running in the Liberal leadership contest, becoming the youngest candidate so far. Hours before Gould's announcement, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland posted her own campaign video playing up Canadian identity and taking swipes at U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

Two years after becoming an MP, Gould, then 29, became Canada's youngest federal cabinet minister, with Trudeau putting her in charge of the electoral reform file. 

Her mandate didn't include addressing changes to the electoral system, and a month later, Gould explained her party would not fulfil its campaign promise to change the way Canadians vote. After announcing his resignation earlier this month, Trudeau said he regretted abandoning that pledge.

Gould made history again in 2018 when she was the first federal cabinet minister to give birth while in office. Now a mother of two, Gould also became the first minister to take maternity leave, which she had to work out with party leadership. 

In doing so, Gould set an important precedent and played a role in making her workplace more inclusive, said Karen Bird, a politics professor at McMaster University whose work focuses on gender and representation in politics. 

In politics in Canada and elsewhere, the "elected political class doesn't accurately reflect in all its diversity … important aspects of the population," Bird said, noting women and young people are particularly underrepresented. 

In part, that's because they lack role models in politics, Bird told CBC Hamilton. She said they also experience stereotyping that downplays their knowledge, experience and credibility. 

Politics can also be discouraging for women, Bird said, due to sexual harassment and gender-based violence, and work hours that are unfriendly to caregivers.

The politics professor added that especially in a leadership race where candidates are under scrutiny, there can be an outsized focus on women's personal lives, appearances and the novelty of women running, as opposed to what a candidate can bring to the table.

"That can be really disadvantageous to her ability to succeed in that contest." 

Mayor would like 'Burlington's voice represented'

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said while she will not endorse anyone for the Liberal leadership and maintains "strict non-partisanship," it would be beneficial to the city to have a prime minister from there.

"We like to see ... Burlington's voice represented at every table that we can, and that's pretty much the biggest table you can be at in Canada," she told CBC Hamilton on Friday.

Meed Ward described Gould as "a fantastic individual with a big heart" and "a hard worker."

"She is there for Burlington. She's also been there for the country. She's been there for families. I can tell you, in Burlington, the $10-a-day child care has been a game changer for families and affordability."

Meed Ward said Burlington will engage with all candidates in the next federal election "around key issues."

"One of the biggest is a new fiscal deal with the province and with the federal government, ... we need the federal government's help with housing and transportation," she said.

"The next government that forms, we want to make sure that that investment is protected."