UPDATED February 28, 2025
On January 6th, 2025, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he is resigning, triggering a Liberal Party leadership race. The next leader will become Prime Minister and lead the party into the next general election, which will likely follow shortly after. This provides a rare opportunity for party supporters to get involved and push for a leader who will take a stronger position on Palestinian human rights. CJPME has provided the below information for those who are thinking about getting involved.
CJPME previously let supporters know that registering as a Liberal Party member would allow them to vote in this contest. Now that registration is closed, those who registered must verify their identity and cast their ballot. Below, we provide important details on how to do so.
Stay tuned for next week, when CJPME will publish an analysis of the candidates on the issue of Palestinian rights.
How do I verify my identity and vote?
Before you can vote, you must confirm your eligibility and verify your identity. The verification period closes on March 7, 2025, at 5PM ET. Once verified, you can vote between February 26 at 8AM ET and March 9 at 3PM ET.
If you registered for the party before the deadline, you should have received an email from the Liberal Party with the subject line "Voting is now open" containing instructions on how to vote.
To verify your identity and vote:
- Go to secure.liberal.ca/verify to confirm your eligibility and receive identity verification instructions.
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Verify your identity using one of the following methods:
- Canada Post Identity+ mobile app (recommended – takes 2 minutes)
- In-person verification at a Canada Post Office
- Once verified, go to vote.liberal.ca to cast your ballot.
When is the deadline to verify my identity?
You must complete verification before March 7, 2025, at 5PM ET. If you do not verify your identity, you will not be able to vote.
What happens if I don’t vote?
If you registered but do not vote, you miss the opportunity to influence the leadership race. Every vote counts, and a more pro-Palestine leader could shape the party’s stance on important policies.
Please ensure that you are not part of another political party
If you were a member of another federal political party when you registered for the Liberal Party and you vote, you could face penalties under the Liberal Party’s rules. The Liberal Party requires voters to attest that they were not members of another federal party at the time of their Liberal registration.
We want to make sure our supporters are aware that the Liberal Party requires voters to attest that they were not members of another federal party at the time of their Liberal registration. If this is not the case, voting in this leadership race could result in penalties, including fines of up to $10,000.
To avoid any issues, we encourage you to confirm that you were not a member of another party at the time of signing up for the Liberal Party. If you are unsure of your status, you may want to contact the other party to confirm your membership cancellation before voting.
How does registering to vote for the next leader of the Liberal Party help Palestine?
We know there are Liberal MPs who quietly support Palestine but who are constrained by a party leadership that is invested in supporting Israel and Zionism. Similarly, public opinion polls have consistently shown that the party membership is overall much more supportive of Palestine, and only 22% of Liberal supporters view Israel favourably. Now that Trudeau has finally stepped down, we have an opportunity to influence the new Liberal party’s leadership by showing that Palestine is an issue they must grapple with. Whoever the next leader of the Liberal party is, it is highly unlikely that they will be fully pro-Palestine. But there’s a big difference between a party leader who recognizes that Israel is committing genocide, and one that slavishly repeats Israeli talking points.
Polls indicate that the Liberals are going to lose the next election badly. What difference could the Liberals make in opposition, even if the new leader is more pro-Palestine?
Opposition parties matter! On March 18th, 2024, the NDP put forth a motion on Palestine that called on Canada to recognize Palestinian statehood and to impose a full arms embargo, among other things. While the motion that passed was eventually watered-down, it did lead to important changes,including the suspension of some arms export licenses. It was a partial victory. If the Conservatives win a majority government in the next election, having a more pro-Palestine Liberal party among the opposition would help curb the worst impulses of the Conservatives when it comes to Palestine and Israel.
If I register to become a member of the Liberal Party, isn’t that an endorsement of a party that was complicit in genocide?
In order to change Canada’s policy towards Palestine and Israel, we need to apply pressure from inside and outside the political system. You don’t have to agree with the Liberal Party’s current stance on Palestine and Israel to register as a member. After you vote for the new leader, you can stay and work from the inside or you can leave the party. Pro-Israel groups are already mobilizing to choose their preferred leader even if they don’t support the Liberals.
I thought CJPME was non-partisan. Why are you encouraging people to participate in a specific party’s leadership contest?
CJPME is a non-partisan organization. We do not endorse or back any specific political party. We recognize that CJPME members and supporters support different political parties at any given moment. We have provided information to current and prospective members of the NDP, Liberal and Green parties in the past during their most recent leadership contests. You can find more of our past work here. As the race progresses, CJPME will be rolling out additional resources to help voters evaluate the candidates.