Canadian politics has been busy with Trump’s escalating tariffs shaking global markets and some slight shifts on the campaign trail. From housing pledges to trade responses, the race is tightening, and the rhetoric is rising. Here is what you need to know mid-way through week three.
The Rundown
Protect & Prosper: Those are the keywords for Mark Carney and the Liberals, who have pledged to protect Canada’s natural heritage through new parks, Indigenous-led conservation, and climate solutions, while boosting economic resilience with emergency retiree support and investments in skilled trades. Their platform also promises to double homebuilding to 500,000 units a year using Canadian lumber and prefab construction, supported by apprenticeship funding, expanded training programs, and tax breaks for mobile workers.
Action Agenda: Over the past five days, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives pledged to protect seniors’ savings, crack down on offshore tax cheats, and fund addiction recovery for 50,000 Canadians – while slashing red tape, expediting major resource projects, and cutting income taxes by 15% to lower the cost of living. From banning drug sites near schools to backing LNG Canada Phase II and axing tax hikes on alcohol, these announcements focus on boosting economic independence, public safety, and affordability.
People First: Since Saturday, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh unveiled new plans to tackle housing, health care, and worker protections. In these announcements, he pledged to build 3 million homes, implement national rent control, and enforce tenant rights. Singh is also committed to guaranteeing every Canadian access to a family doctor by 2030 and putting workers first in bankruptcies by reforming EI and blocking predatory takeovers.
Québec d’Abord: Over the past few days, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet has unveiled new measures to protect Quebec’s cultural identity, defend local businesses, and strengthen economic independence by boosting French-language arts, fighting foreign takeovers, and supporting small merchants through targeted tax cuts and fairer fees.Greens in Action: The Green Party’s two announcements have focused on strengthening public health care with a fully integrated system and boosting forestry resilience by calling for a national lumber reserve, a raw log export ban, and support for Indigenous-led resource stewardship.
Inside Track
- With Trump’s “Liberation Day and its immediate aftermath beginning to stabilize, and the election debates a week away, party leaders and candidates have a rare opportunity to regroup before the high-stakes weeks ahead. Expect a slight slowdown in public events as campaigns catch their breath and prep for the debates – Poilievre is carting around a pesky cough, and Carney hasn’t stopped since his leadership election and then almost immediate writ drop. With the debates likely to define the race – for Carney to cement his mainstream public perception and attendant lead, or for Poilievre to sway enough swing voter segments back to turn the tables – leaders will spend the next eight days prepping behind closed doors. Platforms could drop soon to provide debate material, but don’t be surprised if they are held back for the daily drip of announcements.
- After a swing through battleground British Columbia, Liberals are feeling relatively good about polls and seat projections, but are wary of “peaking early” in a volatile environment or letting complacency set in among local volunteers and voters. The focus now is on locking in as much support as possible through GOTV (getting out the vote) for the advance polls (April 18-21) over the Easter long weekend, especially among former NDP and Bloc voters. The campaigns’ air war messaging will continue to push a polarized, two-horse choice between Carney and Poilievre to lead the nation in the shadow of Trump. War rooms on both sides are gearing up for more “oppo drops” with damaging dirt on candidates — we hear there are more than a few locked and loaded out there. Now that nominations are closed and names on the ballots finalized, these tactics force leaders to either white-knuckle a controversial candidate’s defence, and take a hit, or drop them and effectively surrender the riding to their opponents.
- It was a weekend of rallies and policy drops in B.C. for the CPC, and then it was off to Alberta, for Poilievre’s largest rally of the campaign, with an estimated 12,000 supporters in Nisku, just outside of Edmonton. The campaign then moved back to Ontario, holding a rally in Sault Ste. Marie, before heading back into the critical GTA battleground. Poilievre is set to cap the week with campaign events in Windsor on Friday. The Conservatives have been sharpening their attacks on Mr. Carney over the last week, launching a new attack ad and unveiling a new policy on closing tax loopholes in an attempt to draw attention once again to Brookfield’s use of Bermuda tax havens while Carney was chair of the board.
- Facing poor polling numbers, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pivoted from urging Canadians to elect him prime minister to asking them to vote for as many NDP candidates as possible, pointing to the policy impact his party had under the previous Liberal minority government. Projections continue to put the party below the Bloc in terms of seats in the House, and with nominations now closed, they have only 336 candidates on the ballot out of the 343 seats available. While endorsements have been few and far between, they did receive support in B.C. in a video posted to X. B.C. Premier David Eby is urging Canadians to re-elect NDP Members of Parliament. This is despite polls in that province suggesting shaky ground for the NDP, where half of the current caucus is seeking re-election.
South of the Border
Limiting Trump’s tariff powers, again: Yesterday, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a bipartisan resolution to curb President Trump’s ability to impose tariffs unilaterally under national emergency powers. The move follows growing frustration in Congress over the sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs, particularly among allies like Canada. It builds on a previously passed non-binding motion specifically targeting tariffs on Canadian goods. While largely symbolic, the new resolution signals intensifying efforts to reassert congressional control over trade policy.
Markets seesaw, billionaires react: On Monday, U.S. markets saw wild swings after a false report suggested the White House might pause or adjust its tariff rollout. The rumour briefly triggered a $4 trillion rally before collapsing when officials denied it. Prominent voices, including Bill Ackman and Elon Musk, joined public criticism of tariffs this week, with some calling for a 90-day tariff moratorium. They cite rising uncertainty for U.S. businesses — including those with Canadian ties — and are calling for renewed negotiations before further escalation.
Confusion reigns: President Trump continues to defend the tariffs as “reciprocal,” claiming they simply match the duties imposed by other countries. However, trade experts and Canadian officials explain this misrepresents how global tariffs work. A CBC investigation found many of the President’s cited figures — such as a supposed 20 per cent Canadian tariff on U.S. cars — are either exaggerated or false, further fueling uncertainty among businesses and allies.
Hot… or Not?
Blasts from the Past: Some familiar faces hit the campaign trail this week. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit the hustings in his old riding of Papineau with Liberal candidate (and former advisor) Marjorie Michel. And former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was on deck, offering his endorsement of Poilievre at the Edmonton-area campaign rally Monday evening.
Mighty Long List: The Longest Ballot Committee, a movement that actively protests the first-past-the-post electoral system, is targeting the riding of Carleton in this election. Meant to cause delays and clog up the system, the committee recruits as many supporters as possible to put their names forward as candidates. Elections Canada has confirmed that there are currently 90 candidates on the ballot running against Poilievre. To manage the expected volume, officials are considering using special authority to allow for early counting or adding extra resources to handle the backlog.
Party Lines: It seems there are a couple of new or newly refurbished parties offering their vision to Canadian voters. Former Independent New Brunswick MLA, Dominic Cardy, who announced the launch of his new centrist party – the Canadian Future Party last August, is reported to be running 16 candidates. There is also another communist movement, with founder Joe Bergman announcing efforts late last week to launch the new Revolutionary Communist Party. While weekend rallies were planned, the group has yet to meet the $250K threshold to register as an official party, raising just under $80K so far. Elections Canada lists 16 registered political parties.
Local Matters: While national campaigns stay focused on the big issues, some local campaigns are engaging their voters and volunteers with a little more fun and good humour. In Sherwood Park, the Garnett Genuis Conservative campaign is solving a wildlife challenge in a very Canadian way, using hockey sticks as a barrier to protect a goose nest outside the campaign office, while Liberal candidate Rechie Valdez is pumping up the jam with post-door-knocking dance parties.
Bluesky Bonus
Wartime Rhetoric on the Trail: Senior Consultant Alyson Fair spoke with Parliament Today and weighed in on party leaders ramping up the wartime language on the campaign trail.
PrimeTime Politics: Vice-President Jordan Paquet joined CPAC’s PrimeTime Politics campaign managers panel to weigh in on the impact of big rallies and key developments from the campaign trail.
