The next Liberal leader will need to turn their attention quickly to ensuring the party is ready for an early election once the short leadership race ends in March.

Multiple Liberal cabinet ministers and MPs have said they will not seek re-election over the past year, and the governing Liberals are trailing the Conservatives in nominating candidates.

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The Liberals say they have 129 candidates nominated out of 343 federal ridings, while the Conservatives say they have close to 221 and the New Democrats say they have 93.

University of Toronto political science professor Randy Besco says the next Liberal leader will need to quickly sort out their campaign machinery, since senior members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office may be unwilling to stick it out under a new leader.

He says the Liberals won’t have a hard time finding candidates but attracting star talent likely will be tough, with the Conservatives maintaining a solid double-digit lead in the polls.