Sunday, February 22, 2026
ADVT 
National

Quick Sketch: Meet Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 20 Jan, 2025 11:44 AM
  • Quick Sketch: Meet Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould

Karina Gould is making her pitch to Liberal grassroots as the best candidate to rebuild and restore Canadians' faith in the party.

At 37, she's the youngest contender in the running and the millennial mom says it's time for a new generation of leadership at the top.

Here's a quick look at how the rising star in the party arrived at this moment.

Born: June 28, 1987 in Burlington, Ont.

Early years: Gould grew up in Burlington and developed a strong interest in community activism and volunteering. After graduating from high school in 2005, she travelled to Mexico where she spent a year volunteering at an orphanage. That's where she met her future husband and learned to speak Spanish.

She later studied political science and Latin American studies at McGill University and international relations at Oxford University.

She has volunteered locally for the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club, the Burlington chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women, the Mississauga Furniture Bank and Halton Women’s Place, a local women's shelter.

Career history: Before campaigning for public office, Gould worked for the Mexican Trade Commission in Toronto and did consulting for the Migration and Development Program at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C.

Gould was swept into government in the wave that brought Justin Trudeau his first majority mandate in 2015. During the campaign, she briefly caused a controversy for Trudeau's campaign over an old Twitter post, which she then deleted. It had said, “It’s time to landlock Alberta’s tarsands."

She's been in office for nearly a decade and claimed some notable firsts. She became the youngest woman to serve as a federal cabinet minister and the first federal minister to give birth while in office. In 2018, she became the first cabinet member to go on maternity leave.

Within the Liberal party, she is known for getting the national child care program over the finish line.

Gould first joined cabinet as minister for democratic institutions in 2017, taking over the problem-plagued role from Maryam Monsef at a time when the Liberal government had abandoned its campaign promise to usher in electoral reform. Gould later served as minister for international development and minister of families.

In July 2023, she became government House leader, taking on a key senior role of chief attack dog and managing the government's agenda in the House of Commons — something that greatly raised her profile in the media.

Family: She is married to Alberto Gerones. The two have a son, Oliver, and a daughter, Taya.

Quote: "We need to rebuild our party so we can keep building our country. We need new leadership to fight for everyday Canadians."

MORE National ARTICLES

Man arrested in death of 71-year-old Richmond, B.C., woman

Man arrested in death of 71-year-old Richmond, B.C., woman
British Columbia's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says it is investigating after a woman was found dead in her Richmond home.

Man arrested in death of 71-year-old Richmond, B.C., woman

Retailer London Drugs closes stores in Western Canada due to 'cybersecurity incident'

Retailer London Drugs closes stores in Western Canada due to 'cybersecurity incident'
London Drugs says it has temporarily closed all of its stores in Western Canada as it grapples with a "cybersecurity incident."

Retailer London Drugs closes stores in Western Canada due to 'cybersecurity incident'

Canada's auto sector faces an EV renaissance, but local job protection is a concern

Canada's auto sector faces an EV renaissance, but local job protection is a concern
Canada's auto industry is experiencing a renaissance as it transitions from building gas-powered vehicles to ones that run on batteries, but some are raising the alarm over the protection of local jobs.   

Canada's auto sector faces an EV renaissance, but local job protection is a concern

Crown prosecutor seeks life sentence for former Saskatchewan Mountie who killed lover

Crown prosecutor seeks life sentence for former Saskatchewan Mountie who killed lover
Family members of a Saskatchewan man who was shot by his lover told court they will never understand why he was killed by the former Mountie.

Crown prosecutor seeks life sentence for former Saskatchewan Mountie who killed lover

Court ruling affirms law curbing parliamentary immunity of spy watchdog members

Court ruling affirms law curbing parliamentary immunity of spy watchdog members
The Ontario Court of Appeal has affirmed the constitutionality of a law that limits members of a spy watchdog from using their parliamentary immunity to speak out.

Court ruling affirms law curbing parliamentary immunity of spy watchdog members

Guilbeault seeking ways to end benzene exposure from Sarnia styrene plant

Guilbeault seeking ways to end benzene exposure from Sarnia styrene plant
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is looking for options to protect a southern Ontario First Nation from repeated exposure to benzene from a nearby chemical plant, as the plant issues a new warning about air pollution.  

Guilbeault seeking ways to end benzene exposure from Sarnia styrene plant