OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to launch a federal election campaign Sunday and send Canadians to the polls as soon as April 28.
While sources would not confirm the date of the vote, federal campaigns must run at least 37 days.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament in January and it is scheduled to return on Monday.
But Carney is expected to ask Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament on Sunday. Carney was in Edmonton on Thursday, where he spent part of his morning skating with the Edmonton Oilers while wearing a team sweater with his name on the back.
Under Canada’s fixed elections date law, the next general vote must take place no later than Oct. 20 but can be called earlier.
The Liberal party already has dozens of election events listed on its website for the coming days, including door-knocking with candidates, phone-duty training and campaign launch parties.
Candidates from other parties are also gearing up for an election call. In a post on X, Conservative MP Scot Davidson posed with a new election sign and explained how voters could request their own.
An NDP source, whom The Canadian Press is not naming because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the party’s election plans, said the team has been recruiting staff, holding office openings, knocking on doors and seeking out sign locations.
The source said the party is also meeting regularly with candidates and campaign workers.
The source said a campaign launch will be held in Ottawa on Sunday, likely at the Westin hotel, with the team to head to Montreal afterwards to kick off the Quebec campaign.
Green party co-leader Elizabeth May confirmed her party’s campaign will also kick off in Montreal on Sunday in the riding of Outremont, where fellow co-leader Jonathan Pedneault will be running.
A Liberal party source, whom The Canadian Press is not naming because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the party’s election plans, said ministerial offices were emptying out on Thursday and MPs are heading home to get ready for the campaign.
The source said that local campaigns across the country are getting their offices ready and setting up phones. In some cases, the source said, campaigns started looking for office space weeks ago.
The Conservative party has not responded to inquiries about its election plans.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has held news conferences this week to roll out promises to hasten the development of Canada’s resources, including critical minerals.
On Thursday, the NDP earned a noteworthy endorsement from the United Steelworkers — which also backed leader Jagmeet Singh’s party in the previous two campaigns — as the U.S. imposes tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports.
The election comes at an opportune time for Carney’s Liberals, who have surpassed the Conservatives in several polls for the first time since 2022. The Liberals’ polling resurgence is being driven in large part by Canadians’ anxieties about the Trump administration in the U.S.
The parties have been busy nominating candidates and organizing leaders’ tours. To date, the Liberals have nominated only about half of a full slate of candidates. The Conservatives, NDP and Green Party each have nominated candidates in more than 200 of the 343 ridings.
Carney and the Liberals have recruited some high-profile candidates in recent days, including former Canadian television journalist Evan Solomon and Carlos Leitão, a former Liberal finance minister in Quebec.
The Conservatives have a sizable war chest for the election after a banner fundraising year, raising almost $41.8 million in 2024.
The Liberals raised about $15.2 million and the NDP took in close to $6.3 million in donations over 2024 — though the Liberals are likely to see an influx of cash in the wake of their leadership race. It saw Carney alone raise more than $4.5 million in less than two months.
A New Democrat spokesperson said the party saw a 131 per cent increase in digital fundraising in February year-over-year.
Carney was elected as Liberal leader to succeed Trudeau on March 9 and was sworn in as prime minister along with his new cabinet March 14.
He recently made his first trip abroad, visiting France and the U.K. to send a message about Canada’s trade and security alliances, before making a stop in Iqaluit to assert Canada’s sovereignty in the face of Trump’s annexation threats.
— With files from Catherine Morrison
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2025.
