Liberals will remove 'fraudulent' memberships, as some register their pets to vote

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Justin Trudeau speaks during a Liberal Party of Canada fundraiser in Ottawa, on Monday, June 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A federal Liberal spokesman says the party can and will remove “fraudulent profiles” from its list of electors eligible to vote for its next leader.

Parker Lund’s comment came after multiple people posted online about creating fake profiles using fake names or their pet names and listing their address as that of the prime minister or the Chinese Embassy.

The Liberal party said late Thursday that a new leader would be announced on March 9 after a leadership vote.

Party leaders met behind closed doors on Thursday to hammer out the rules and timeline for the race, which was triggered Monday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would step down.

The Liberals changed the rules years ago to make it easier for people to register as party members and vote in leadership elections, including eliminating all fees.

Some MPs say the party should tighten its rules on who can register as a member, after the foreign-interference inquiry heard about foreigners voting in local nomination races.

Lund said officials would remove fake registrations from the party’s rolls before the leadership vote takes place.

“The Liberal Party of Canada is aware of these ridiculous, fraudulent registration attempts,” Lund wrote on X.

“The national party secretary has the ability to remove registrants from our lists, and will be removing these fraudulent profiles well in advance of any leadership vote.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025.