Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, and Liberal Leader Mark Carney.
(Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)
The Latest
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal Leader Mark Carney both offered details about their plans to cut income taxes for middle-class Canadians.Two federal leaders’ debates have been scheduled for April 16 and April 17 in Montreal, the first in French and the second in English.Government officials outlined how they will combat and communicate any foreign interference that may arise during the federal election.Do you have a question about the federal election? Send an email to ask@cbc.ca.Updates
March 24
36 minutes ago
Wheels up for Halifax
Ashley Burke
Carney gets a hug from Beulah Cooper as he arrives at her house in Gander, N.L., on March 24, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)The Liberal campaign is taking off for Halifax after Liberal Leader Mark Carney spent the day in Gander, N.L.
Gander famously took in thousands of international travellers on Sept. 11, 2001, after their planes were diverted following the terrorist attacks in the U.S. Carney met with Beulah Cooper and Diane Davis, locals who helped stranded passengers.
Davis, a retired teacher, said they “represent thousands in this district who stood up that day, and then hundreds of thousands of proud Canadians who realized that this is the right thing to do.”
Carney said what Gander did is an example of the “unbreakable bond” between Canadians and Americans.
“Unfortunately, President Trump’s actions have put that kinship under greater strain today than at any time in our storied history,” he said.
51 minutes ago
NDP taking the scenic route
David Thurton
Reporters travelling on the NDP campaign bus. (David Thurton/CBC)Good afternoon. I’m a senior reporter with the CBC News Parliamentary bureau currently covering the NDP campaign.
We’re in for a long ride on the NDP bus today. The campaign just left Montreal en route to Toronto, and we have a six-hour-plus drive ahead of us. That’s a lot of time to spend on the road when New Democrats are behind in the polls — almost a whole day on the road instead of campaigning.
I asked NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh whether spending so much time on the road was the right move. Why not fly? (The party has secured a plane for this campaign, but it won’t get used in the first week.)
“I want folks to know, wherever you are, whether you’re in Toronto, whether you’re in Montreal, East Coast, West Coast, north or south, you were better off when you’ve got a New Democrat fighting for you,” Singh said.
Next stop: the riding of Taiaiako’n-Parkdale-High Park in Ontario. Only four hours to go.
1 hour ago
Fact check: federal lands for housing
Ishitaa Chopra
This is from Ishitaa Chopra, a producer with our CBC News election fact check team:
The NDP claims the Liberals have been sitting on a piece of land for years that could have been used for affordable housing.
Last year, the federal government announced plans to build 3.9 million homes by 2031. Rather than constructing the homes itself, it has made properties available to developers, in efforts to boost supply and lower costs. Currently, 90 properties covering 473 hectares of land have been identified for potential development.
This proposal differs from the NDP’s, as they propose the government should own and build the affordable housing itself.
1 hour ago
Fact check: government spending
Stephen Hoff
This is from Stephen Hoff, a producer currently working with our CBC News election fact check team:
Pierre Poilievre claimed today that federal government spending rose 80 per cent under the Liberals. Not quite, but Canada’s national budget has grown substantially since Justin Trudeau’s first budget in 2016 and his last in 2024. According to budget documents, spending has risen nearly 70 per cent (however, those calculations don’t take into account inflation).
Poilievre also said the national debt has doubled. That is correct. Canada’s national debt has roughly doubled in the same period from $619 billion to $1.2 trillion in the last budget.
2 hours ago
People’s Party leader says he’ll hit pause on immigration
Jenna Benchetrit
Maxime Bernier and the People’s Party of Canada are launching their official campaign today, too, from Saint-Georges, Que.
Bernier has described his party — which came out in strong opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns, and has called for immigration cuts — as the populist alternative to Canada’s “globalist” major parties.
Speaking in French, Bernier said the four major pillars of the PPC’s platform will be the following: a pause on immigration; an end to “woke” policies, specifically those related to trans people and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives; boosting the economy by cutting spending; and implementing what he called “pro-Canada” policies related to national security and immigration.
“Our country is broken,” he said.
Bernier received almost five per cent of the national vote during the 2021 federal election. He’s been accused of courting far-right support, but has said that white supremacists and extremists aren’t welcome in the party.
Last week, Bernier was interviewed by InfoWars founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
2 hours ago
About those tax cuts…
Peter Armstrong
Economic uncertainty is top of mind for voters
The federal election campaign has started in the shadow of a trade war with the United States, attacks on Canada’s sovereignty from U.S. President Donald Trump and a cost-of-living crisis.
Hi, I’m our senior business correspondent.
In a lot of ways, the Liberal and Conservative tax cut proposals are very similar. Both are trying to bring down the tax rate paid in the lowest bracket.
Right now, Canadians pay 15 per cent in federal taxes on their first $57,375 in taxable income.
The Conservative plan would bring that down to 12.75 per cent.
The Liberal plan would reduce the tax burden to 14 per cent.
Remember, two-thirds of Canadian tax filers make less than $57,375. So these reductions would help the majority of Canadian families.
But economists will say a move to drop that lowest rate will also benefit high earners (even the highest-income Canadians pay the same rate on that first chunk of income).
2 hours ago
Government wants voters to stay vigilant
Jenna Benchetrit
Before its press conference started earlier this morning, the government shared its plan to protect voters, MPs and candidates from foreign interference.
It’s urging voters to stay informed so they can recognize the signs of disinformation and foreign interference. The RCMP and local police will also provide outreach to communities who are at risk of being targeted.
MPs will be notified if there’s a credible threat against them or their families, and they can get threat-specific briefings from national security agencies.
Major party leaders will have security made available to them for the duration of the campaign. Some party representatives were given a general briefing by the task force before the election was called.
2 hours ago
Blanchet turns his focus to trade war
Raffy Boudjikanian
The Bloc Québécois campaign bus. (Raffy Boudjikanian/CBC)Blanchet is having a light lunch with some of his local candidates in Quebec City at a restaurant called Le Cochon Dingue (The Crazy Pig). Le cochon d’Inde is what guinea pigs are called in French — wordplay that does not quite translate.
Blanchet is looking to capitalize on the U.S. trade war that’s seizing national attention by proposing a private member’s bill that would force the Canadian government to procure services from Canadian and Quebec providers. His own typical appeals toward protecting Quebec identity and sovereignty may also be difficult to translate into a message for voters as the country remains seized by economic threats.
Earlier this morning, Blanchet also revealed the bus his team will use to criss-cross Quebec.
2 hours ago
How the government is guarding against election interference
Jenna Benchetrit
The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) task force, which is made up of Canada’s national security agencies, will monitor for any foreign interference threats during the election period.
The agencies included in the task force include the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE), Global Affairs and the RCMP.
There will also be a protocol to decide whether a threat meets the threshold for a public announcement, Kempton said.
“We want to avoid elevating or drawing unnecessary attention to a minor incident that could produce negative consequences or unwanted alarm,” she said. A public endorsement, for example, doesn’t meet the criteria for foreign interference.
2 hours ago
Elections Canada has been in touch with social media platforms about misinformation
Darren Major
Chief Electoral Officer Stephane Perrault responds to a question during a news conference, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)Hi folks, I’m a senior writer with CBC’s politics team.
The head of Elections Canada says he has been in touch with social media platforms in an effort to address concerns about misinformation as Canada wades into an election campaign.
Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault told reporters today that he has reached out to social media sites such as X and TikTok to “seek their support to making this election a secure election.” He said he has been satisfied with the response so far.
“We’ll see what action actually takes place during the election. Hopefully they won’t have to intervene, but if there are issues, hopefully they will be true to their word,” he said.
Perrault said he would make his communication and the response from the platforms public.
You can read more here.
