🚨 ICYMI... On Sunday, March 23, Prime Minister Mark Carney asked Canada's Governor General to dissolve the 44th Parliament, issuing 343 writs of election to kick off the 45th general election campaign.

Set for Monday, April 28, 2025, the 37-day election period is the shortest allowed by the Canada Elections Act, but while short, it has already proven itself to be action-packed.

Key dates 

Canadians can now cast their ballots in the 2025 federal election - options to vote early are now available.

Advance voting officially begins today at 9:00 a.m. and will run until Monday, April 21, at 9:00 p.m. Find your polling station HERE.

Voting can also be done by special ballot in person at the Elections Canada office before 6:00 p.m. on April 22. Find your closest office HERE. 

Election Day is slated for Monday, April 28, with voting hours available HERE. 

• 🗓️ Advance Voting Days: April 18-21 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time
• 📮Special Ballot: April 22 by 6:00 p.m.
• 🗓️ Election Day: Monday, April 28

📍 The VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE is April 22. To check your registration, register, or update your address, visit the online voter registration service. You can also register when you go to vote. 

To vote, you must: 

• Be a Canadian citizen 
• Be at least 18 years old on election day
• Prove your identity and address

At the polling station, you will be asked to present your ID. There are three options for this:

1. Show your driver's licence or any other government-issued ID with your photo, name and current address. The ID can be from the federal, provincial or local government.
2. Show two pieces of ID with your name. At least one must have your current address. Examples of accepted documents include your voter information card and bank statement, or a utility bill and student ID card. A full list of accepted ID is available HERE. 
3. People without an ID can declare their identity and address in writing and have someone they know, who is assigned to their polling station, vouch for them. The voucher must be able to prove their identity and address, and can only vouch for one person, except in long-term care facilities.

Campaign Commitments 

Each political party is rolling out its vision for the country - here's a breakdown of their current standings and key promises while on the campaign trail: 

🟥 Liberal Party of Canada (led by Prime Minister Mark Carney) - 152

• Canada Strong Pass: Provide children and youth under the age of 18 with free access to Canada's national galleries and museums, and free seats on VIA Rail when they travel with their parents; Work with provinces to develop similar pricing to provincial museums and galleries; Introduce heavily discounted passes and fares for Canadians aged 18-24.
• Sovereignty: Establish the Defence Procurement Agency; Establish the Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Science; Boost Canada's domestic defence industries and production; Expand the CanExport program. 
• Skilled workers: Provide a new upskilling and training benefit for workers; Provide up to $15,000 for workers in priority sectors (manufacturing, health care, construction AI, technology); Design supports for workers impacted by tariffs. 

🟦 Conservative Party of Canada (led by Pierre Poilievre) - 120

• Economic Plan: Repeal Bills C-69 and C-48; Create a National Energy Corridor; Rapidly approve Phase 2 of LNG Canada; Upgrade the Port of Churchill; Pre-permit shovel-ready zones for development; Cut red tape by 25 per cent. 
• Skilled trades: Require banks to recognize apprenticeships for Registered Education Savings Plans; Provide high schools with a trades toolkit outlining different types of trades and career paths. 
• Veterans: Automatically approve disability applications if not processed within 16 weeks; Let military doctors assess injuries using one standardized system; Make available the Education and Training Benefit to Veterans immediately upon receiving their release date; Ensure Veterans receive post-secondary course credits for skills gained while serving.
• Consecutive sentences: Give judges the ability to sentence multiple murderers to consecutive prison sentences without parole eligibility beyond 25 years. 
  • Would require the use of the notwithstanding clause to override a 2022 Supreme Court decision.
• Scam guardrails: Require mandatory scam detection systems for banks and cell phone companies; Require real-time flagging of suspicious activity; Create a Senior Transaction Shielding Protocol; Mandate public reporting by banks and telcos on fraud prevention statistics; Impose penalties of up to $5 million per violation for wilful neglect; Create a new Criminal Code offence of "willful blind profiteering from fraud."
• Fisheries:  Ensure fishing is allowed only in accordance with DFO regulations; Return to completing assessments and monitoring of Canada's fishery stocks; Uphold the principle of Willing Buyer/Willing Seller.
• Arctic security: Upgrade the Forward Operating Location in Inuvik to full base status; Procure a fleet of Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft; Build the Arctic Security Corridor from Yellowknife to Grays Bay; Establish a new Canadian Army reserve in Whitehorse; Construct a new Arctic Naval Base in Churchill. 

⬜️ Bloc Québécois (led by Yves-François Blanchet) - 33

2025 PLATFORM: Choisir le Québéc

• Public prayer: Propose studying the regulation of prayers in public places under federal jurisdiction. 
• Healthcare: Increase health transfers to Quebec and fund healthcare in the province, particularly at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. 

🟧 New Democratic Party of Canada (led by Jagmeet Singh) - 24

• Rural services:  Train more doctors from the North; Invest in regional medical schools in rural and remote communities; Increase Indigenous representation in healthcare; Give communities control over the Nutrition North Program; Twin key highways; Protect and expand bilingual services in the North.
• Health care: Require provinces to meet nurse-to-patient ratios; Tie new federal health transfer to hiring and retention strategies; Actively recruit qualified nurses from the U.S.; Pay student nurses during clinical training; Recognize nurses and Personal Support Workers with a $5,000 Canadian Health Care Workers Tax Credit. 

🟩 Green Party of Canada (led by Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault) - 2

2025 PLATFORM - Change: Vote For It 

• Post-secondary education: Eliminate tuition fees, cancel student loan interest, and create new pathways for adult learners to return to school.
• Housing: Triple Canada's housing stock over the next seven years; revitalize the CMHC, refocusing its mandate on financing and constructing nonmarket housing; Ensure affordable housing costs no more than 30% of household income; Extend the GST removal for developers of for-profit rental housing; Require strong rent and vacancy controls.
• Reconciliation: Develop a robust legal framework that implements UNDRIP; recognize Indigenous governments as equal partners; Invest in Indigenous-led restorative justice initiatives; Fully implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations. 

View real-time updates of party commitments with our 2025 Federal Election Tracker. 

News and Nuance

The fourth week of the campaign unfolds against a backdrop of major political developments, shifting public debates, and key news events shaping the broader electoral landscape.

 ⚔️ Debate Duels   

Four party leaders faced off this week in two debates, one in French and one in English, at the Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal. Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh all took part in the debates. 

Each debate covered five key topics, organizing questions around central themes. 

FRENCH DEBATE: 

1. Cost of living 
2. Energy and climate 
3. U.S. trade war
4. Identity and sovereignty 
5. Immigration and foreign affairs 

ENGLISH DEBATE: 

1.  Affordability and cost of living 
2. Energy and climate 
3. Leading in a crisis 
4. Public safety and security 
5. Tariffs and threats to Canada

At the French debate, Carney faced early criticism for his lack of political experience, while both Singh and Blanchet pushed for a stronger minority government presence.

Poilievre attacked the Liberal housing record, prompting Singh to highlight Poilievre's limited results as a former housing minister. Tensions rose as Blanchet and Poilievre debated pipelines and Indigenous consent, and Singh strongly condemned Poilievre's vow to cut United Nations Relief and Works Agency funding.

Carney and Poilevre aligned on support for new oil and gas pipelines as a matter of national security amid an ongoing trade war with the U.S.

During the English-language federal leaders' debate, affordability and national security, especially in relation to U.S. President Donald Trump, dominated the discussion. Leaders continued attempts to position themselves as best equipped to manage Canada's economic future

None of the participating leaders have released fully costed platforms, however, both Carney and Poilevre stated theirs would be released in the coming days.

Few, if any, party leaders made any new commitments as they discussed a variety of topics, mainly reiterating previously announced promises by their respective parties. 

• 🗂️ Access: 2025 Federal Election Tracker 

Green Party co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault was initially slated to participate in the debates, but the Leaders' Debate Commission (LDC) rescinded the invitation, stating the party did not meet participation criteria. 

According to LDC rules, leaders may participate if they meet two of the three criteria: holding a seat in the House of Commons prior to the current election, being endorsed by candidates in at least 90 per cent of federal ridings, and receiving at least four per cent support in the polls.

At the end of last month, the Greens met the first two criteria, but have since faced a decrease in their candidate total. 

Pedneault stated that the party is exploring legal recourse for the decision. 

🇺🇸 Tariff Troubles

The ongoing trade war with the U.S. has continued to be a central component of the federal election campaign, ruling the debates and support for party leaders. 

Talk of making Canada the 51st state returned to the White House this week, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied there was any change in Trump’s rhetoric towards Canada, believing the country would greatly benefit from becoming the 51st state. 

Simultaneously, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced temporary relief measures for Canadian businesses affected by the ongoing trade tensions.

In response to counter-tariffs imposed amid the escalating dispute, the federal government will offer a six-month suspension of certain tariffs on US-imported goods used in Canadian manufacturing, processing, and food and beverage packaging. This relief will also cover imports tied to public health, healthcare, public safety, and national security needs.

One major provision allows automakers that maintain vehicle production in Canada to import a limited number of US-assembled, CUSMA-compliant vehicles tariff-free. However, this allowance will shrink if a company reduces its domestic production or investment. 

These measures are aimed at giving Canadian businesses time to adjust their supply chains and mitigate the economic strain caused by the tariffs, and the government's response to the trade dispute is expected to remain a central issue in the federal election, serving as a key test of each leader’s ability to navigate economic crises and protect Canadian industries.

• 🗂️ Access: 2025 US Tracker

📊 Polling Positions 

A new Nanos Research poll shows the Liberals holding a five-point national lead over the Conservatives, 44 per cent to 39 per cent, respectively, just ten days before the 2025 federal election.

Regionally, the Liberals dominate in Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and British Columbia, while the Conservatives maintain a commanding lead across the Prairies with 59 per cent backing them. 

The NDP remains well behind at 9 per cent, and other parties, such as the Bloc Québécois and Greens, are polling in the low single digits, at six and two per cent respectively.

Among voters aged 35–54, there's a statistical tie between the Liberals and Conservatives, making this demographic a critical swing group. The Liberals continue to do significantly better among older voters. Fifty-one per cent of those aged 55 and up said they would back the Liberals, versus 33 per cent for the Conservatives.

In terms of leadership, Liberal Leader Mark Carney has a 13-point edge over Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in preferred prime minister numbers (37 per cent to 24 per cent).

With only days left in the campaign, the results suggest a competitive race with the potential for late shifts depending on turnout and undecided voters.

Interested in learning more?

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