Up for Debate

Your Election Look Ahead

April 14, 2025
7 minute read

Platform & Campaign Announcements

Liberal Party of Canada

Liberal Leader Mark Carney was scheduled for a press conference in Dorval this morning at 10 a.m.
On Sunday night, Carney appeared on Tout le monde en parle. The French language program is viewed widely in Quebec.
Carney announced the new proposed Canada Strong Pass on Saturday that would 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 over the summer.
Last Thursday, Carney announced his plan to address crime and build safer communities. The Liberals promised to hire thousands of new RCMP and CBSA officers to crack down on illegal drugs and guns coming from the United States, increase funding to prosecute violent criminal gangs, make bail laws stricter for home invasions and car thefts, protect children and community spaces (including places of worship), and crack down on gun violence.
Last Wednesday, Carney announced the Liberal Party’s proposed approach to make Canada the world’s leading energy superpower. Among other things, the plan proposes to fast-track what it calls “Projects of National Interest”, which will be jointly identified with the provinces and territories and Indigenous peoples. It also proposes to develop a trade and energy corridor, along with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners, for transport, energy, critical minerals and digital connectivity.

Conservative Party of Canada

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was scheduled for a 9 a.m. press conference in Montreal on Monday morning. Poilievre also appeared on “Tout le monde en parle” on Sunday evening.
The Conservative leader committed to strengthen the Accountability Act. Among the new rules: a ban what the party calls “shadow lobbyists”, and a requirement for anyone advising the government directly or indirectly, who stands to gain financially from their advice, to register as a lobbyist.
Poilievre announced his plan to support armed forces veterans which aims to ensure that veterans’ benefits are in place before they leave the military.
Poilievre released his ‘Canada First Economic Action Plan’ on Friday, which aims to boost Canada’s economic activity by a total of a half-trillion dollars over the next five years. The plan has four previously-announced components: cutting income taxes by 15% with the Bring It Home Tax Cut, axing the federal sales tax on new homes up to $1.3 million, ending the sales tax on new Canadian cars, and training 350,000 new apprentices over the next five years with an expanded Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP).
Poilievre pledged to deliver fairness for the skilled trades by requiring banks to recognize apprenticeships for Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). Financial institutions that offer RESPs would be required to recognize all skilled trades and apprenticeship programs as eligible RESP programs.
Earlier last week, Poilievre announced that if elected, he would pass a ‘Three-Strikes-and-You’re-Out Law’ that would stop criminals convicted of three serious offences from getting bail, probation, parole or house arrest, and keep violent criminals behind bars longer. The law would also aim to impose a minimum prison term of 10 years and up to a life sentence for three-time serious criminals.

New Democratic Party

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is in Toronto this morning, scheduled for a 10 a.m. announcement with Toronto–Danforth candidate Clare Hacksel. Singh appeared on CTV’s “Your Morning” and “Breakfast Television” earlier this morning.
Singh announced the NDP’s Northern Ontario platform — focused on fixing health care, lowering grocery prices, investing in infrastructure, and protecting access to French-language services in the North.
Singh unveiled his plan to build 3 million homes by 2030—doubling the current pace—by speeding up construction, protecting existing rentals, and training the workers needed to deliver it. The plan would also replace the Liberal Housing Accelerator Fund with a permanent, $16 billion national housing strategy.
Singh released his party’s plan to overhaul Canada’s bankruptcy and insolvency laws. The proposed plan would (among other things) expand the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act “super-priority” protections for workers to include post employment benefits, e.g. unpaid wages, severance, protection of group sickness or accident insurance plans, a group term life insurance policy, or a private health services plan to ensures that workers are paid before banks.

#ICYMI: Campaign News

The Canada Strong and Free Network Conference wrapped up Saturday. Highlights of the program included a keynote from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a fireside chat with B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, and another with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. In addition to an opening keynote from author and activist Bari Weiss, several former U.S. representatives spoke to attendees, including former Director of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert Wilkie, and former Ambassador and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The conference continued to make news late into the weekend, after it was reported that Liberal operatives attempted to meddle at the conference by placing divisive buttons around the venue.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney paused his federal election campaign for a third time on Friday to meet with the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations and National Security and tackle U.S. President Donald Trump’s global trade war.
Carney spoke with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen last Thursday. The two leaders discussed the imposition of tariffs and ongoing threat of further unjustified global trade actions by the United States, and emphasized the importance of working together to deepen economic ties and promote economic security for their people.
The Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit took place last week. Some featured speakers at the event included Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow; Canada’s former Chief Trade Negotiator Steve Verheul; Bea Bruske, president of Canadian Labour Congress; and Matthias Ecke, European MP for the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
Voters in the Ottawa riding of Carleton will have a record-tying number of candidates to choose from on their ballot this election with 91 registered candidates running for the seat. Eighty-five of the candidates registered to run in Carleton are associated with the electoral reform group ‘The Longest Ballot Committee’ and all have the same official agent – Tomas Szuchewycz.
Carney came under fire again for his previous ties to Brookfield Asset Management as a $5-billion investment fund created under his leadership at the company was registered in the Cayman Islands tax haven, according to records obtained by Radio-Canada.
It was reported that Peter Yuen, the new Liberal candidate for Markham-Unionville selected by Mark Carney to replace Paul Chiang, is a member of Beijing-friendly lobby organizations. Chiang withdrew from the campaign following leaked remarks suggesting people claim China’s bounty on his Conservative political opponent.
The Conservative Party’s campaign faced scrutiny this week about its practice of limiting media access to Poilievre. At a news conference in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., on Wednesday, Poilievre ignored a CTV reporter’s question about his refusal to get a security clearance, dismissing her as “just a protester.” The reporter had shouted the question out of turn, as she was not one of the four journalists chosen by the campaign to pose a question.
The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force announced in its weekly briefing last week that an information operation from Beijing aimed at shaping public opinion among Chinese Canadians about Liberal Leader Mark Carney had been identified on the Chinese-language social-media platform WeChat.
Former Conservative candidate Lourence Singh in the Metro Vancouver riding of New Westminster—Burnaby—Maillardville said he was removed from the party’s slate because of comments he made about the Chinese government in a podcast four years ago.

What We're Watching

Find out what issues Summa consultants are tracking and why they matter.

Table Talk – It’s debate week, giving Canadians plenty to discuss with friends and family over the Easter long weekend.

Liberal leader Mark Carney enters with momentum in the polls – and the most to lose. As the political “rookie”, Carney’s job will be to avoid getting dragged into traps laid by his more seasoned debate opponents. Wednesday’s French-language debate is a chance to highlight improvements from prior missteps, while his strategy for Thursday’s English debate will likely focus on continuing to position himself as best suited for dealing with President Trump. His goal: preserve and maintain the existing strong public perceptions that he has benefited from during the campaign so far.

With decades of experience debating in the House of Commons, Poilievre has a critical opportunity to reverse the public opinion trend with a strong debate performance this week. While his style may be to challenge his opponents (he has often been criticized for being his own “attack dog”), the debates present a rare chance to show Canadians he is ready to lead, and embody the “change” that many voters say they are looking for.

For the NDP and Bloc Québécois, the debates mark a crucial moment to break through in what has so far been a two-horse race. BQ leader Yves-François Blanchet will look to win back Quebec voters who are increasingly leaning Liberal, while Jagmeet Singh needs to get back in the fight – lest he risk losing official party status, and even his own seat in the House.

While debates rarely lead to major shifts in support, more Canadians appear to be tuned in to this close campaign than others before. At a minimum, it will give voters something to chew on at Easter Dinner.

House Party – Last week, all major parties unveiled their housing plans. First the Conservatives, then later the Liberals, promised to cut the GST from home sales, which they claim would reduce costs by tens of thousands of dollars for buyers. Other commitments have focused on use of public lands for affordable homes, and speeding up construction and permitting to accelerate building.

With Canada having the highest housing inflation in the G7, these policies are meant to address a crisis that is top of mind for many voters – but in particular, Millennials and Gen Z who are struggling to enter the market. A recent poll from our partners at Abacus Data shows that for Gen Z, the cost of living remains the top issue (46%), followed by housing (33%). While older Canadians have identified Trump as their top issue, US-Canada relations falls lower in the list as a pressing concern for young voters. Successfully capturing the youngest voters will be critical for parties who cannot rely on the Boomer vote to secure victory this campaign.

A Silent Majority? – Since announcing his intentions to become prime minister in 2022, Pierre Poilievre has made a play to reclaim potential Conservative voters who checked blue in 2019 but did not vote in 2021 – or, who voted for the People’s Party. These voters could be categorized as low-propensity conservative voters–those who lean right, but do not typically vote. The conventional narratives heading into April 28 could be upended if Poilievre can motivate new, or infrequent voters and move them to the ballot box with the same success he is having pulling them out to his rallies. However, as polling indicates Carney’s lead over the Conservatives is solidifying, it will be a major gamble to rely on voters who are traditionally unreliable.

Subscribe to our mailing list.

Want to receive an update like this one every Monday that the House sits? Our Look Ahead will keep you in the know.