Original Publish Date » April 16 , 2025
Last Updated » 4 days
The Polls
Mark Carney’s Liberals holding lead ahead of leaders’ debates
- Liberals 43.6% / Conservatives 37.8% / NDP 8.4% / BQ 5.5% / Green 2.3% / PPC 1.6%
The Liberal lead over the Conservatives is holding at roughly 6 points and the party remains favoured to win a majority government if the election were held today. The Conservatives have more support than they’ve had in the last three elections, but it is not high enough to win when the Liberals have picked up so much of the Bloc Québécois and NDP vote. Those two parties are on track for significant seat losses. (CBC Poll Tracker – April 16, 2025)
Endorsements
Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young wrote, ‘An Open Letter to Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney from Neil Young‘, endorsing him in the federal election amidst ongoing tariff threats from Donald Trump.
- “Mr. Carney, I believe you are the person to do it. I believe you are the person our country needs to lead us through this crazy situation and bring us out the other side as a stronger, smarter, more resilient Canada, our core values of caring and fairness and generosity intact, along with our souls. Without a doubt, you’ve got the chops to get it done. And man, you have got the guts to take it on.”
Retiring Conservative Abbotsford BC MP Ed Fast has announced his endorsement of independent candidate Mike de Jong instead of the candidate for his party.
- In a statement released April 15, Fast criticized the selection of 25-year-old Sukhman Gill as the Conservative candidate in the new riding of Abbotsford-South Langley.
- Gill – a blueberry farmer and political neophyte – won the riding’s nomination vote on March 8 after the federal Conservatives declined de Jong’s application to run despite his 30-year history as an MLA. (Chilliwack Progress)
Leaders’ Debate
Green Party dropped from leaders’ debates for not meeting the Leaders’ Debates Commission rules of running enough candidates (CBC)
French-language debate time moved to 6 PM Eastern to avoid Montreal Canadiens game conflict
- So very Canadian – Go Habs Go!
- The Canadiens are set for a puck drop against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, with a spot in the NHL playoffs on the line. CBC/Radio-Canada, which was selected by the independent Leaders’ Debates Commission to produce the debates, confirmed to Global News that the French-language debate will now take place at 6 p.m. Eastern, and is set to conclude at 8 p.m. Eastern. (Global News)
Campaign
Trump effect leaves Canada’s Conservatives facing catastrophic loss
- Poilievre’s confrontational style, his attack on “woke” politics and his laser focus on the cost-of-living crisis has earned the career politician a cadre of devoted fans and fuelled a meteoric rise within the Conservative party. The Conservative Party’s own video clip of Poilievre chastising a reporter while casually munching on an apple received praise from Republicans in the United States and captured both his growing disdain for the media and his teeth-bared style of confrontation. (The Guardian)
Poilievre getting easier ride at media events than Carney
- Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is getting an easier ride at media events during the current election than Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney, an analysis by The Maple finds.
- The data shows that despite Poilievre’s constant complaints that the media go easy on his Liberal opponents, the opposite is true in this election campaign. (Emma Paling & Alex Cosh / The Maple)
