Martha Hall Findlay says she鈥檚 not daunted by political pundits who say the race for the federal Liberal leadership is really just a coronation ceremony for obvious front-runner, Justin Trudeau.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be doing it if I didn鈥檛 think we could win,鈥� Hall Findlay told CTV鈥檚 Canada AM from Calgary Thursday.

Hall Findlay, 53, joined the leadership race Wednesday, the same day the campaign officially began. And while seven other men and women have already declared their candidacy, most agree that Trudeau is the most high-profile candidate with the best chances of winning.

But Hall Findlay says she has skills and experience that Trudeau simply doesn鈥檛 have.

鈥淛ustin and I bring very different things to the table,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have a background in business. I have done a lot of international work. I have been a senior executive with large teams of people both here and abroad. I鈥檝e also run my own businesses successfully.

鈥淪o knowing things like how to meet payroll and doing so successfully are very important skills to have.鈥�

She added that the biggest challenges currently facing Canadians are economic challenges. 鈥淎nd I think it鈥檚 really important to have somebody who has that background and experience.鈥�

Hall Findlay ran for the Liberal leadership in 2006 before eventually dropping out and throwing her support behind eventual winner Stephane Dion. Dion lasted as Liberal leader for two years before resigning following the party鈥檚 dismal results in the 2008 federal election.

Hall Findlay went on to win the Toronto riding of Willowdale in a March 2008 byelection, and was re-elected in the general election later that year. But she lost her seat in 2011 during an election that saw the Liberal seats whittled down to just 34 -- the party鈥檚 worst-ever performance as the NDP took over as official Opposition.

Hall Findlay says she would like to run in Willowdale again, although she chose to launch her campaign in Calgary to make the point that the Liberals need to become a national party once again.

This time around, Hall Findlay has brought in Stephen Carter to run her leadership campaign. He successfully steered Naheed Nenshi out of near-obscurity and into the Calgary mayor's chair two years ago. He also ran the leadership and provincial election campaigns for Alberta Premier Alison Redford.

Hall Findlay says she now has a 鈥渇antastic team 鈥渋n Calgary, Toronto and across the country, and says she will bring with her the lessons she learned the last time she ran for the leadership.

鈥淭he 2006 campaign was just an extraordinary experience. It was 10 months and it afforded me the opportunity to travel across the country and have conversation with Canadians about their aspirations, their concerns politically, and it was absolutely fantastic,鈥� she said.

鈥淎nd though I didn鈥檛 win in 2006, I really won in every other respect. Everything I learned and all the experiences have all added to what I know I can bring to the table now.鈥�

The others who have formally declared their candidacy for the Liberal leadership are:

  • lawyer Deborah Coyne
  • retired Canadian Forces Lt.-Col Karen McCrimmon
  • prosecutor Alex Burton
  • lawyer David Bertschi
  • economist Jonathan Mousley
  • David Merner, of the party鈥檚 B.C. chapter

At least three others are also expected to join the competition:

  • Vancouver MP Joyce Murray
  • Toronto lawyer George Takach
  • Montreal MP Marc Garneau

The Liberal party will pick a new leader in April. There will first be a final "showcase event" for candidates on April 6 in Toronto, which will then kick off a week of voting. The results will be announced April 14 in Ottawa.