Voters will cast ballots under redrawn boundaries, with new candidates in several ridings, stricter ID rules at the polls, and only 37 days to decide.
Following the formal kick-off to the April 28 election, the race to govern Canada is underway.
As the party leaders criss-cross the country to sell their visions of Canada’s future, the tariffs and annexation threats of U.S. President Donald Trump loom large.
It will be a short campaign, lasting only 37 days — the shortest allowed by federal law — but it won’t be cheap to hold. Elections Canada CEO Stéphane Perreault said the cost to taxpayers will be roughly $570 million. That’s roughly $20 per eligible voter and it includes the cost of the 250,000 employees hired by Elections Canada to help make it all run smoothly.
Here’s everything Ottawa voters need to know about the 2025 federal election.
Who are the party leaders?
Mark Carney, 60, took over as head of the Liberal Party in early March after winning a leadership race that followed the resignation of Justin Trudeau. Carney was born in the Northwest Territories and grew up in Alberta before studying at both Harvard and Oxford University. He worked in the Canadian finance department and private industry before serving as governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England. He joined Trudeau’s economic growth task force in 2024.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, 45, was born in Calgary and attended the University of Ottawa before being elected in the Nepean-Carleton (now Carleton) riding in 2004 at the age of 25. Under former prime minister Stephen Harper, Poilievre served as minister of employment and social development. He succeeded Erin O’Toole as head of the Conservative Party in 2022 following a leadership race.
Jagmeet Singh, 46, replaced Tom Mulcair as NDP leader in 2017. Singh attended high school in the United and graduated from Western Ontario (now Western University) and York University’s Osgoode Hall law school. He was a criminal defence lawyer before he was elected to the Ontario legislature as an MPP, and later became federal NDP leader. He has represented the riding of Burnaby South since 2019.
The Green Party has chosen to have Jonathan Pedneault and long-term leader Elizabeth May be co-leaders. Pedneault will, however, serve as the party’s public face and will represent it in campaign debates. Pednault, who will turn 35 during the campaign, is running in the Montreal riding of Outrement. May has represented the riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands since 2011.
Yves-François Blanchet, 59, won the Bloc Québécois leadership in 2019. A former member of Quebec’s National Assembly, he represented the Parti Québécois from 2008 to 2014. He has represented the riding of Beloeil—Chambly since 2019.
Evening Update
Neither Carney nor Poilievre has led a party through an election campaign, while Singh, Blanchet and May have all done so.
How many ridings are there in Canada? What’s the breakdown by province and territory?
There are now 343 ridings in Canada, up from 338 in the 2021 election. Ontario, with 122 seats, contains 35.6 per cent of all ridings in the country. Quebec has 78 seats (22.7 per cent). Between them, that’s an even 200 seats.
There are 43 seats in British Columbia, 37 in Alberta, 14 each in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 11 in Nova Scotia, 10 in New Brunswick, seven in Newfoundland and Labrador and four in Prince Edward Island. Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut each have one representative in the House.
To win a majority government, one party would need to capture at least 172 seats.
What was the count from the 2021 federal election?
The Liberals, then led by Trudeau, were re-elected to a minority government after winning 157 seats. The Conservatives, headed by O’Toole, captured 119. Interestingly, the Conservatives actually had a larger share of the popular vote (34.3 per cent) than the Liberals (33.1 per cent). The Bloc Québécois, with Blanchet in charge, claimed 32 seats (7.6 per cent), followed by the NDP’s Singh (24 seats, 16 per cent) and the Green Party led by Annamie Paul (three seats, 6.6 per cent).
What are the Ottawa-area ridings?
Take note. In one way or another, there have been boundary adjustments to more than 300 ridings in Canada following redistribution necessitated by varying population growth in regions.
Ottawa is not exempt. Some lines have been redrawn slightly and names have changed.
The redrawn ridings include Orléans, Ottawa-Vanier-Gloucester (previously Ottawa-Vanier), Ottawa South, Ottawa Centre, Nepean, Carleton, Ottawa West-Nepean and Kanata (was Kanata-Carleton).
So how do I find out who is running for which party in my area?
Of course, colourful signs on lawns and around intersections are one indication. The Elections Canada website — elections.ca — is also a great starting point. To find who is up for office in your area, follow the Elections Canada prompts to punch in the list of candidates and their party affiliations.
What’s unique about the Carleton and Nepean ridings?
The national leaders of both the Liberals and Conservatives are running for office in those districts, which border each other. Poilievre is aiming to win his eighth consecutive election in Carleton. Carney, meanwhile, is running in an election for the first time, in Nepean. Liberal Chandra Arya has represented Nepean as its MP since 2015, but he was disqualified by the party from running again on March 23.
So Carney replaces Trudeau. When was the last time the leader of a ruling party stepped down before contesting an election?
In 2003, then prime minister Jean Chrétien was feeling heat from within the Liberal Party and was facing the threat of an internal leadership review amid a bitter feud with Paul Martin, his former finance minister.
Chrétien resigned and Martin took over, eventually winning the 2004 election over the Conservatives headed by Stephen Harper, but with a reduced minority in Parliament.
In 1993, Kim Campbell took over from Brian Mulroney as Progressive Conservative leader, becoming Canada’s first and only female prime minister. In the election later that year, the PC’s were reduced to a mere two seats from the 154 they had before the election was called.
Thanks for the history. So how do I know if I’m eligible to vote?
Canadians 18 or older — approximately 28 million — should receive postcard-sized voter information cards in the mail. The information comes from being included in the National Register of Electors, which was established in 1987. The file is constantly updated based on changing addresses, new voters (children becoming adults, new Canadians) being added and dropping those who have died.
The voter information card includes each voter’s name and information and their polling location. Voters should take those to their polling stations on election day.
What other ID is needed?
Any official Canadian government-issued document that includes a photo, name and address is acceptable. So, too, is a driver’s licence. Failing that, two pieces of alternative ID are required, one of which must include the voter’s name, photo and address. Examples include a birth certificate, student ID card or a government cheque, income tax assessment, Social Insurance Number card or vehicle insurance statement. The ID must be in either English or French, with the exception of Nunavut, where Inuktitut is acceptable.
They must be original copies and electronic information on mobile devices is okay. The one exception where photocopied information is allowed is for electors living in long-term or retirement facilities.
A full list of acceptable documents is listed on the www.elections.ca website.
What do I do if I can’t vote in person on election day?
Don’t worry about it. Stuff happens. Fortunately, there are other options. From now until April 22, registered voters can exercise their right by going to their local Elections Canada office, which can be found on the website. From Friday, April 18, through to Monday, April 21, advance voters can also perform their civic duty at assigned polling places listed on the website. Those locations should be posted after April 1.
Additionally, it’s possible to vote by mail. In that case, though, you must apply before April 22 through a form available at www.elections.ca.
Do all Canadians exercise their right to go to the polls?
Many people sit on the sidelines.
It will be intriguing to see if the numbers increase this time, considering all the tariff and annexation threats from Trump. There’s a wave of Canadian pride in the air and the No. 1 campaign issue is protecting Canada from our southern neighbours.
In 2021, 62.6 per cent of eligible Canadians voted, which was down from 67.0 per cent in 2019 and 68.3 in 2015, but it should be noted that some COVID-19-related restrictions were in place then.
The all-time low came in 2008, when Harper’s Conservatives claimed victory with only 58.8 per cent of eligible adults voting.
In contrast, the best turnout was in 1958, when Progressive Conservative leader John Diefenbaker won a resounding majority government over Lester B. Pearson’s Liberal party.
What’s the breakdown by age group?
Generally speaking, Canadians become more engaged in voting the older they get. In the 2021 election, 74.9 per cent of eligible voters between 65 and 74 went to the polls, but the numbers steadily drop from there. In the 18-24 camp, only 46.7 per cent of those with the opportunity chose to vote in 2021.
Elections Canada is trying to make it easier for that demographic to vote and will introduce “Vote on Campus” programs at 119 post-secondary campuses between April 13 and 16.
kwarren@postmedia.com
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