🚨 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 

The countdown is on: Election Day is just around the corner.

The only remaining way to vote in the 2025 Canadian Federal Election is at your assigned polling station on Monday, April 28. Find your polling station HERE.

• 🗓️ Election Day: Monday, April 28

Voting hours are staggered across Canada: 

• Newfoundland Time: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
• Atlantic Time: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
• Eastern Time: 9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.
• Central Time: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
• Mountain Time: 7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. 
• Pacific Time: 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

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

2025 PLATFORM: Unite, Secure, Protect, Build

The platform, unveiled on Saturday, April 19, promises nearly $130 billion in new measures over the next four years, which will add $225 billion to the federal debt when combined with existing spending. 

It also states it will be able to boost government revenues over four years by $51.8 billion, due to counter-tariffs, increased tax penalties and fines, and increased government efficiency. 

Other commitments announced throughout the week include: 

•  Health care: Increase medical school spaces and build new schools, expand residency positions, recruit qualified doctors through a new global recruitment strategy; Invest $4 billion to construct and renovate community health care infrastructure; Launch a Task Force on Public Health Care Innovation; Implement a national license ofr physicians and nurses; Invest $500 million in the Emergency treatment Fund; Make the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund permanent and introduce an IVF program. 
• Atlantic transportation: Lower the Confederation Bridge tolls from $50 to $20; Lower the costs by at least half for passengers on the Northumberland Ferries, some Marine Atlantic routes, and the Coopérative de Transport Maritime et Aérien ferry. 
• British Columbia initiatives: Build more affordable homes in BC; Provide over $25 billion in financing to prefabricated home builders, including those using B.C. and Canadian technologies and resources like mass timber and softwood lumber;

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

2025 PLATFORM: Change

The platform, unveiled on Tuesday, April 22, includes $35 billion in new measures over the next four years. Implementing the programs will also require the government to carry a $31 billion deficit this year, growing to $100 billion over the next four years.

The platform is counting on $77.7 billion over four years, which it states will come from cancelling programs, finding efficiencies, and streamlining the public service. They estimate that economic growth from new policies will also amount to $53.3 billion in tax revenue.

Other commitments announced throughout the week include:

• Food packaging: Stop proposed new labelling and packaging requirements, scrap the single-use plastics ban (straws, grocery bags, food containers).
• Compassionate intervention: Allow judges to sentence offenders to mandatory treatment for addiction, require recovery-oriented rehabilitation in prisons; End safe supply; Impose life sentences on fentanyl traffickers.
• Consultants: Cut the annual budget for consultants by $10 billion annually.
• Housing: Build 2.3 million homes over the next five years; Reward cities that permit over 15 per cent more homebuilding each year with additional federal funding; Require cities to permit high-density housing around federally funded transit stations; Require cities to pre-permit housing as part of getting federal funds for related roads, bridges, and transit.

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

2025 PLATFORM: Choisir le Québéc

• Housing: Use the federal government's low-interest borrowing capacity to help first-time buyers supplement their down payment with an interest-free loan of up to $20,000, covering a maximum of 4 per cent of the amount.
  • Reinvestment in the construction of social and affordable housing and essential municipal infrastructure; Invest an additional $7 billion in transfers to Quebec dedicated to social and community housing.
• Climate adaptation: Implement a co-insurance program, in which Ottawa covers a portion of premiums; Invest $2 billion over five years to renew the Greener Homes Loan Program; Add $875 million over five years to the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
• Immigration: Transfer all immigration powers to Quebec, including the International Mobility Program; Ottawa authorizes Quebec to grant conditional permanent residence with incentives for settlement; Create an emergency component to provide faster relief for refugees during crises.

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

2025 PLATFORM: Made for People, Built for Canada

The platform, unveiled on Saturday, April 19, projects a $48 billion addition to the federal deficit over the next four years, $42.2 billion of which is spending not offset by revenue. 

The top revenue generator in the platform is a graduated wealth tax, implementing a one per cent tax on households with a net worth between $10 million and $50 million, two per cent for those worth $50 million to $100 million, and three per cent for those over $100 million.

According to their platform, that would raise about $94.5 billion in revenue over four years, coupled with $24.8 billion to close tax loopholes, and another $8 billion by reducing consultants.

Other commitments announced throughout the week include:

• Grocery prices: Implement price caps on essentials, a mandatory Grocery Code of Conduct, and a windfall tax on grocery profits; Reforms to Nutrition North. 

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

2025 PLATFORM - Change: Vote For It 

Key spending initiatives include investments in public services, like free tuition, a Guaranteed Livable Income, universal health and dental care, and a large-scale transition to renewable energy.

On the revenue side, the platform plans to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, close corporate tax loopholes, and raise taxes on high-income earners and large corporations, including a new excess profits tax, a financial transactions tax, and a progressive wealth tax targeting amounts over $10 million.

Other commitments announced throughout the week include: 

• Sovereignty: Implement a wealth tax, targeting households with a net worth exceeding ten million; Increase the Official Development Assistance budget; Reduce the PMO's Office budget to $1 million.

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

News and Nuance

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

 🗳️ Turnout Trends  

 A record 7.3 million Canadians voted in advance polls from April 18 to April 21, a 25 per cent increase from the 5.8 million who voted early in 2021, according to preliminary numbers from Elections Canada.

The surge, which included over two million ballots cast on April 18 alone, marked the highest single-day turnout in Canadian advance voting history, causing long wait times at polling stations across the country. 

With more than 28.2 million voters registered at the start of the campaign, surpassing the 27.5 million registered in 2021, Elections Canada also reported strong interest in mail-in and special ballots. Analysts say the trend reflects Canadians' growing comfort with early voting, although it remains unclear whether it will influence party advantages or the final election results.

Advanced vote estimates for the provinces include:

• Alberta - 815,131
• British Columbia - 1,104,151
• Manitoba - 229,379
• Ontario - 2,792,881
• Quebec - 1,595,591
• Saskatchewan - 206,754

Elections Canada stated that they had 3,755 advanced polling locations across the country in this election, an increase from the 3,667 in 2021. 

In 2022, federal electoral boundaries were redistributed following the release of updated national census data, creating an additional five seats in the House of Commons to account for the country's growing population. These new seats were allocated as follows: three in Alberta, one in British Columbia, and one in Ontario.

Elections Canada notes that more locations were added in the provinces with additional electoral districts due to the redistribution. 

🎤 International Influences

Just days before the federal election, U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited his 51st state rhetoric, while suggesting he could further raise auto tariffs. 

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday, he repeated his false claim that the U.S. is subsidizing Canada by $200 billion a year, once again stating that Canada would do better as a state. 

When referring to tariffs on vehicles and auto parts, aluminum, and non-Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) goods, Trump stated that at some point those levies could increase, furthering claims that the U.S. does not need Canadian goods. 

The remarks come at the same time that China's ambassador has claimed that Beijing is offering to form a partnership with Canada to push back on so-called American bullying. 

Chinese Ambassador Wang Di remarked that China is Canada's opportunity, and that the two countries should work together to convince others not to placate the Trump administration while making Washington pay a price. 

Wang Di commended Canada's counter position on U.S.-tariff measures, stating that alongside China, they seem to be the only countries taking concrete measures against U.S. tariffs. 

However, trade tensions remain between Canada and China, which were ignited last fall when Canada's federal government imposed 100 per cent tariffs on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles. China retaliated with tariffs on Canadian canola and pork, stating that the duties would be dropped if Ottawa followed suit. 

In the context of the upcoming election, the recent comments highlight foreign policy and trade as key issues on the ballot. 

Trump's talk of Canada as a 51st state has been a notable message for voters in determining which leader is best to tackle foreign policy concerns, with further threats to potentially raise auto tariffs fueling worries about economic sovereignty. 

Simultaneously, China's partnership proposal complicates foreign policy commitments as the global power vies for influence amid turbulent economic concerns with Canada's historical ally.  

As Election Day looms, trade, diplomacy, and Canadian sovereignty remain prevalent concerns for voters as they cast their ballots. 

📊 Polling Positions 

The latest Nanos Research poll shows the Liberals holding a four-point lead over the Conservatives, with national support at 43 per cent versus 39 per cent, respectively. 

The NDP is holding seven per cent, followed by the Bloc Québécois at six per cent, and the Green Party at three per cent. 

The gap has tightened following the full release of the Conservative platform and is now the smallest gap from Nanos since the election began.  

Mark Carney maintains a nine-point edge over Pierre Poilievre as preferred Prime Minister, holding 46 per cent and 37 per cent respectively. The gap has tightened since the last report, when Carney was ahead by 11 points. 

Regionally, the Liberals continue to dominate in Atlantic Canada, Ontario, and Quebec. 

In the Prairies, the Conservatives remain far ahead with 57 per cent of those surveyed backing them, compared to 30 per cent for the Liberals. There, the NDP is holding eight per cent. 

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