Home > News & Insights

Week 4 Federal Election Coverage  

As party leaders geared up for this week’s televised debates, it was a quieter week on the campaign trail. With two weeks remaining until the election, there is still time for voting intentions to shift in the increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment. 

There was great anticipation heading into both debates. In the most Canadian way, the French debate was rescheduled to an earlier time to account for a competing Habs game. All eyes were on Carney and Poilievre, the two front-runners, in how they would respond to attacks – and in Carney’s case, how well he could communicate in French. The general sentiment from the French debate is that both Carney and Poilievre did well in their respective ways. For Carney, this meant no major gaffes in his French and keeping his cool amidst the scrutiny from all leaders. For Poilievre, he softened his approach while holding the other leaders to account.  

The English debate was noticeably more heated than the French debate. Carney received the brunt of the targeted questions and attacks from the other leaders but remained composed. Poilievre had another debate where he showed his softer side while delivering on his key election promises. Uncharacteristically, Jagmeet Singh was by far the leader who interrupted others the most. He also brought a more combative tone to the debate while shifting his talking to points on healthcare whenever he got a chance – something the moderator was visibly not pleased with.  

Whether the televised debates will shift voting intention and to what degree remains unknown. However, with Canadians headed into a long weekend for Easter, families will be gathered, and the election will no doubt be a primary conversation topic. As always, time will tell. 

Below is a summary of notable events as of this morning, April 18, 2025, and the announcements and commitments from the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, and the New Democratic Party of Canada.  

 General / Notable Mentions 

  • For the first time since speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney weeks ago, the U.S. Administration has resurfaced their position on wanting Canada to be the 51st state.  
  • On Tuesday, April 15, misinformation spread quicky regarding Honda allegedly moving part of its operations from Canada to the U.S., which the company publicly refuted. 
  • Back-to-back televised debates took place on Wednesday, April 16 (in French), and Thursday, April 17 (in English). The morning of the French debate, the Green Party of Canada was abruptly removed from the leader panel. 

Liberals  

Prime Minister Carney continues to lead in the polls. The Liberal Party’s announcements this week focused on enhancing Canada’s culture, heritage, military, and skilled trades. 

 Announcements 

  • “Canada Strong Pass”  
  • Free access for children and youth to national galleries and museums, in addition to free seats on VIA rail when they travel with their parents 
  • Reduce prices for campsites in national parks from June to August 2025 
  • More military investments 
  • “Defence Procurement Agency” to streamline defence and military procurement 
  • Prioritize buying raw materials made in Canada for defence needs 
  • “Bureau of Research, Engineering, and Advanced Leadership in Science” to ensure that the Armed Forces and Communications Security Establishment will have made in Canada solutions in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and cybersecurity 
  • Upskilling and training benefit for workers in mid-career who require access to new skills training 
  • Up to $15,000 for workers in key priority sectors, such as manufacturing, health care, construction, AI, and technology 

Conservatives  

This week's Conservative campaign focused on crime, raising some controversy around potentially invoking the notwithstanding clause to increase the sentencing for serious offenders. 

 Announcements 

  • Veterans’ Support announcement  
  • Military veterans’ disability applications to be automatically approved if they are not processed within four months 
  • Give veterans control over their medical records, and allow military doctors to assess injuries using a standardized system 
  • Service dogs for post-traumatic stress disorder 
  • Educational and training benefit to be available to Armed Forces members as soon as they receive their release date 
  • Give veterans a preference in bidding for federal contracts and provide them with documentation to have their trade skills recognized outside the military  
  • Tighten financial transparency rules for elected officials 
  • Giving judges the power back to sentence mass murderers to consecutive prison sentences 
  • Invoke the notwithstanding clause to overturn the Supreme Court ruling that struck down a law allowing for consecutive sentences with longer periods of parole ineligibility 
  • “Stop Scamming Seniors Act” to crackdown on financial scammers 
  • Ensure Canadian banks and cell phone companies will detect scams better, alert victims before they are scammed, report and block suspected fraud in real-time 
  • Increase fines and prison time for fraudsters 

NDP  

The New Democratic Party remains a distant third in the polls. Between campaigning and the debates, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh stressed the importance of healthcare, shedding light on an important issue that has been relatively overshadowed by geopolitical circumstances. 

 Announcements 

  • Plan for Northern Ontario, including boosting the number of doctors and eliminating the Nutrition North Program 
  • “Health Care Workforce Strategy” – Nursing Shortage Plan 
  • Provinces to meet nurse-to-nurse rations 
  • Recruit nurses from the U.S. 
  • Introduce a Canadian Health Care Workers Tax Credit 
  • End the federal health transfers to private nursing agencies