Canada’s snap election and where the party leaders truly stand
On March 23, 2025, unelected Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a snap election that will send Canadians to the polls on April 28. This follows a rushed Liberal leadership race and nearly a decade of economic mismanagement under the party. It also comes precisely as President Trump escalates threats of annexation and punitive tariffs targeting Canadian exports.
Voters will decide whether they would like to give the Liberals a fourth term. The Liberal party seeks another mandate, positioning itself as a steady hand despite its policies facing much scrutiny in the face of Canada’s skyrocketing inflation, unaffordable housing, and rising crime rates. The unpredictable president south of the border does our country no immediate favours. The election timing raises questions: are the Liberals capitalizing on voter panic and a crisis they helped create or do they recognize the damage they inflicted and are genuinely equipped to tackle it?
The Liberal party’s popularity took a plunge in recent months, with former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepping down due to growing concern within his own party. Trudeau announced his resignation on January 6, 2025, and prorogued government at a time when Canadians needed their government the most. His resignation left Canadians questioning whether he stepped down to save his party or to protect the country. After a month of government standstill, the Liberal leadership race was finally called on February 26, 2025, following which Carney was named the new face of the party.
While Carney’s credentials are impressive, his actual record proves less comforting. Although Carney has led two central banks, he has also been an advisor to the Trudeau government. Carney was governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 recession. However, he cannot be entirely credited for saving Canadian banks during that tumultuous phase. According to experts, the Canadian banking system survived due in large part to historic reasons. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper further noted that Carney did not oversee the day-to-day management of the Canadian economy during the recession. Instead, Harper added that it was the late Finance Minister Jim Flaherty who helped Canadians navigate the financial crisis.
Carney’s Bank of England tenure proved rather monotonous despite Brexit. As head of the British central bank, he cut interest rates and expanded bond purchases—resorting to policies that typically fuel inflation. Despite his leadership, GDP growth in the UK remained relatively stagnant. Under his watch, inflation fluctuated.
Domestically, Carney’s close ties to Trudeau government policies—including the carbon tax—suggest a rebranding, not real change. Carney has been advising Trudeau as early as the start of the pandemic. The Trudeau government set in place a national carbon pricing plan, which Carney endorsed. The national carbon pricing plan has not been fully legally repealed despite a CBC report claiming that Carney killed the consumer carbon tax in his first move as Prime Minister.
Trailing Carney in the polls is Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. While Liberals dismiss him as an inexperienced career politician, Poilievre brings substantial government experience as former Minister of Employment and Social Development, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Unlike Carney, Poilievre carries no private-sector baggage—though he qualifies for a government pension of over $230,000 annual from the moment he turns 65. Pollievre has heavily criticized Carney for his lack of transparency with his financial assets and involvement with Brookfield Asset Management. Although Carney has placed his assets in a blind trust, Bay Street insiders remain troubled. Carney has also made attempts to downplay his role in relocating Brookfield’s headquarters from Canada to the United States. Although Carney himself claims that he did not “have a connection with Brookfield Asset Management” at the time of the relocation, documents show that Carney championed the decision as Brookfield chairman.
Poilievre has centered his campaign on affordability, housing reform, and immigration. His economic message recently earned him a surprising endorsement from the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers union, marking a rare break from the labour union’s ties with the New Democratic Party (NDP). The endorsement comes even despite Poilievre’s history of voting against healthcare funding and worker protections.
NDP’s Jagmeet Singh enters his third federal election albeit as a leader of a severely weakened party. His decision to prop up the Trudeau government, while simultaneously criticizing Liberal policies, has eroded voter trust in his party. Singh himself admits that his party faces a “massive challenge” as polls show a massive tumble in the party’s popularity. His repeated rejection of Conservative non-confidence motions that even quoted his own criticism has left many progressive voters disillusioned.
As Trump’s tariff threats dominate headlines, Canadians must look beyond crisis rhetoric and do their research. A decade of Liberal mismanagement won’t be solved by a new face nor can an untested opposition leader promise quick fixes. In these turbulent times, informed votes matter more than panicked reactions.