Once facing collapse, Liberals say they're raking in money and high-profile candidates
Former broadcaster Evan Solomon to run for Liberals in upcoming election
The once-flailing federal Liberals can now boast about attracting both donors and high-profile candidates — signs the upcoming election has been turned upside down since Prime Minister Mark Carney entered the scene.
Just a few months ago, the party appeared on the verge of collapse under Justin Trudeau. The Liberals lost a downtown Toronto stronghold, MPs and cabinet ministers were leaving politics and the party continued its slide in the polls.
Not only does CBC's Poll Tracker now suggest the Liberals are in the lead, largely at the expense of the Conservatives and NDP, the party appears to no longer be struggling to find candidates.
Party spokesperson Matteo Rossi said Thursday they are now experiencing "an unprecedented volume in individuals" wanting to run.
"Since Mark Carney's election as our new leader, over 100 individuals have expressed interest in becoming Liberal candidates," he said.
One of those candidates is former journalist Evan Solomon, who confirmed his bid on social media Thursday.
Solomon, who worked for both CBC and CTV, did not say where he will run.
"Given the urgent challenges and threats facing Canadians right now, I've decided it's the right time to come home and do whatever I can to help serve my community and country," he wrote.
The former journalist has been friendly with Carney for years.
His candidacy announcement comes nearly a decade after CBC fired the then host of Power & Politics and The House, following reports he was brokering art deals with people he interviewed as a journalist — including Carney.
At the time, CBC determined Solomon's activities were inconsistent with the organization's conflict of interest and ethics policy, as well as its journalistic standards and practices.
More recently, Solomon worked for the Eurasia Group as the publisher for GZERO Media.
Liberal rebound
Sources speaking to Radio-Canada say former Quebec finance minister Carlos Leitão will also run for the Liberals, a prominent name in a province where the party is keen to make gains.
Sources have also suggested other names are in the hopper or being courted.
Some Liberals are also now running again after earlier declaring they were bowing out of the race.
Industry Minister Anita Anand reversed her decision to retire from politics and announced she will seek re-election under Carney's leadership. Vocal New Brunswick backbencher Wayne Long also said he will run, now that Carney is leading the party.
Rossi said the party raised over $1 million in the first 72 hours after Carney became leader. The party said it had its "best-ever Q1 results for grassroots fundraising in the party's history," although it did not provide a breakdown of donations.
Carney will ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call a federal election on Sunday, according to multiple sources, triggering weeks of campaigning as the parties battle it out for Canadians' votes. Carney has been prime minister for less than a week and was only elected Liberal leader March 9.
An election campaign is expected to last between 36 and 50 days. Election day remains to be confirmed, but voters are expected to cast their ballots on either April 28 or May 5, according to sources.
So far, no political party has nominated candidates to all 343 ridings.
The Conservatives lead the pack with 279 nominated candidates as of Thursday. The Liberals trail with 192.
The Conservative Party has also amassed notable candidates: former chief of the Enoch Cree Nation Billy Morin, law enforcement officer Jessy Sahota and conservative filmmaker Aaron Gunn.
The Conservatives have recently blown other parties out of the water when it comes to fundraising. In 2024, they nearly doubled the combined donations to the Liberals and NDP by raising almost $41.8 million.
In all of 2024, the Liberals raised about $15.2 million and the NDP took in close to $6.3 million.
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With files from David Cochrane, Olivia Stefanovich and the Canadian Press