The Liberal caucus met on Parliament Hill Thursday to plot election strategy but the biggest conversations were largely about who sitting MPs will back in the upcoming vote to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as their leader.

Candidates had until 5 p.m. ET Thursday to submit the required nomination signatures and an initial $50,000 deposit to be considered by the party as a contender, though the party wonB次元官网网址檛 announce the final ballot names until it reviews the paperwork over the next 10 days. The vote itself will conclude with the new leader announced on March 9.

In all, seven Liberals have now confirmed either on social media or to The Canadian Press that they provided the required signatures and the initial deposit, including former central banker Mark Carney, MPs Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould, Chandra Arya and Jaime Battiste, and former MPs Frank Baylis and Ruby Dhalla.

MPs outside the caucus room said they have party unity, President Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 tariff threats and the economy top of mind as they decide on their next leader. Most have rallied around the two presumed front runners: Freeland, who until December was the minister of finance, and Carney, who has been advising the Liberals on economic policy in an official capacity since September.

Gould, who stepped down as House leader last weekend when she launched her bid, is campaigning as a candidate who can rejuvenate the party after nearly a decade in power. On Thursday, she downplayed getting only a few caucus endorsements to date.

She said the leadership ultimately will be decided by grassroots members and B次元官网网址渦nlike some of the other candidates, IB次元官网网址檝e only been organizing for two weeks.B次元官网网址�

Freeland on Thursday said if she wins the race, she will repeal capital gains tax changes she introduced last year. She also said the party has to have a mechanism to remove its leader B次元官网网址� a barb at Trudeau who earlier this month announced he would step down after months of resisting pressure to do so.

Carney is trying to run as the outsider candidate, the only one of the seven candidates who has never been elected as an MP. He is, however, backed by a growing number of high-profile and establishment Liberals, including multiple cabinet ministers like Steven MacKinnon, Steven Guilbeault, Patty Hajdu and Jenna Sudds. Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson was the latest minister to join the Carney fold Thursday.

Carney held an event for supporters in Ottawa Thursday afternoon, and while the event was entirely closed to media, he stopped briefly to take questions from reporters gathered outside the venue.

He touted B次元官网网址渢he teamB次元官网网址� and support heB次元官网网址檚 garnered but rejected the notion that he canB次元官网网址檛 be the outsider when the establishment appears to be backing him.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a free choice. This is the Liberal party. We believe in freedom, and we believe in good judgment. And thus far Liberals are showing very good judgment,B次元官网网址� he said.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner held a press conference outside a nearby Ottawa pub, specifically to criticize Carney for avoiding the media since launching his campaign last week.

The Canadian Press caught up with Carney on Wednesday after learning he was skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, and he took one question B次元官网网址� about his position on carbon pricing. Carney has not done substantive interviews with members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery while in the capital.

B次元官网网址淲e have heard absolutely nothing, zero, crickets, from this man about what he would do as prime minister,B次元官网网址� Rempel Garner said.

B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 curious, putting it mildly, that an unelected man who thinks that he can waltz into the Prime MinisterB次元官网网址檚 Office without answering any questions about policy during a time of national crisis, can get away with that. Where is he?B次元官网网址�

Carney was not scheduled to speak to the media before his event, and media were not invited in to hear anything he said inside.

With the deadline coming Monday to sign party members up to be able to vote in the leadership contest, candidates are hyper-focused on the supporter outreach aspect of their campaigns. A big part of that has been luring in influential Liberals and sitting MPs, whose endorsements can bring in many more supporters and votes along with them.

Winnipeg MP Ben Carr has backed Freeland, and said Thursday she treated him as an equal and made time for him when he was a new Liberal MP trying to find his way in Parliament.

B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 tough,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e need someone right now whoB次元官网网址檚 gonna have the ability to negotiate with the Americans in a way that defends the interests of Canada.B次元官网网址�

Quebec MP Jo毛l Lightbound said Carney is the right leader to B次元官网网址渟teer us through the turbulent times weB次元官网网址檙e facing economically.B次元官网网址�

MacKinnon, the labour minister, said it was CarneyB次元官网网址檚 economic vision which earned his vote of confidence.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been solidly impressed with MarkB次元官网网址檚 ability to converse on the issues facing Canadians, believes in a strong government, believes in economic growth and equal opportunity,B次元官网网址� MacKinnon said outside CarneyB次元官网网址檚 event.

Other members of the Liberal caucus are still playing coy in public about the candidates they plan to support.

Industry Minister Fran莽ois-Philippe Champagne said heB次元官网网址檒l have more to say on the weekend, even though heB次元官网网址檚 widely expected to back Carney.

Just a few weeks ago, Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly and Champagne were considering whether to run themselves, but both decided the time was not right. ThatB次元官网网址檚 left the field without a strong francophone Quebec candidate.

Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, member of Parliament for Qu茅bec, said heB次元官网网址檚 working behind the scenes to ensure the candidates are responding to Quebec issues in their platforms. HeB次元官网网址檚 not expected to declare his support for anyone soon.

The Conservatives fired off emails to their own supporters Thursday claiming that the Liberals are B次元官网网址渢rying to trick youB次元官网网址� by swapping in a new face to B次元官网网址渕ake you forget how terrible the last nine years have been.B次元官网网址�

Michael Clark, a missionary with the Christian Impact Network, has indicated he intends to run in a bid to reopen the abortion debate within the Liberal party. He would not agree to an interview unless the questions were sent to him ahead of time.