OTTAWA – After a short, intense and heated election campaign of just 35 days, Canadians go to the polls today to elect a new federal government.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spent weeks pitching their cases to voters.
Carney, the former central banker and political neophyte, presented himself as a safe pair of hands for a country threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump, while Poilievre focused on addressing crime and the high cost of living and Singh pushed to protect social programs he argued are under threat.
Trump loomed large over the campaign with his tariff threats and calls for Canada to become a U.S. state, occasionally pushing Carney off the campaign trail to act in his capacity as prime minister.
And on the final full day of the campaign, all major party leaders paused to address a deadly vehicle attack at a Filipino community event in Vancouver that took the lives of at least 11 attendees, leaving more wounded in hospital.
The Liberals have seen a massive rebound since the start of the year, with most polls now suggesting they lead the Conservatives — who were long favoured to win a majority government while former prime minister Justin Trudeau was in power.
Polls suggest the NDP could lose many of its seats as left-centre voters turn to the Liberals in an effort to prevent Poilievre from forming government.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2025.
