Canadians flock to advance polls over long weekend
A record number of Canadians voted in advance polls on Friday, with more casting their ballots over the long weekend. Though voting has started, not all of the parties have released fully costed platforms.
The Latest
Liberal Leader Mark Carney was in Charlottetown, P.E.I., this morning, reiterating some of his health-care promises.Carney also encouraged Canadian doctors practising in the U.S. to return home.In Toronto, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre talked about his plan to build 2.3 million new homes in five years — a new figure from the campaign.NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is touring Vancouver Island today, where he promised to push for an expansion of pharmacare to cover all “essential medicines.”The Liberal and NDP parties released their costed platforms during the weekend. Poilievre said today that the Conservative Party’s costed plan will be out tomorrow.Leaders also offered words of support to Canada’s Catholic community after the death of Pope Francis, 88, this morning.Updates
April 21
18 minutes ago
Singh pushes plan to expand pharmacare
Catharine Tunney
Singh is back in British Columbia promoting his plan to expand the pharmacare program.
“New Democrats in the first year will fight to expand pharmacare to include essential medications,” he said, pitching it as a move toward true universal health care.
Singh defined “essential” as all of the most commonly prescribed medications.
“No one should have to worry about the cost of their medication,” he said.
Singh made a similar announcement earlier this month in Vancouver.
For the last few weeks, Singh has framed his announcements as reasons for electing more New Democrats, so they can push forward their policies in a minority government.
1 hour ago
NDP holding bigger events
Marina von Stackelberg
Singh, right, participates in an NDP event with supporters in Nanaimo, B.C., on Sunday. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)I’m Marina von Stackelberg and I’m travelling with the NDP campaign. We’re on Vancouver Island today, where Singh’s team has gone hard, hitting many ridings here during the long weekend.
This part of the country is an NDP stronghold, so it is notable that Singh spent this much time campaigning this close to the election in what are usually considered “safe” ridings. Many of these ridings could be at risk.
But for a campaign that felt like it had a sleepy start, I’ve noticed a renewed sense of momentum here in B.C., with Singh’s team pushing harder with more and bigger events. Singh has increasingly changed his messaging too, calling on voters to keep their support with the NDP to prevent electing Conservatives here, and to stop a Liberal majority.
1 hour ago
Poilievre pitches home-building strategy
Catharine Tunney
Poilievre greets construction workers as he arrives at a campaign event in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)Poilievre returned to the all-important Greater Toronto Area today to sing his campaign’s greatest hits, including his promises to get more homes built, if elected.
From a construction site in Scarborough, Ont., Poilievre promised to build 2.3 million new homes over the next five years.
Poilievre blamed the Liberals — including former housing minister Sean Fraser, who first said he was leaving politics but is running again — for the housing crisis and suggested Carney’s housing plan won’t get Canadians into homes any faster.
Poilievre reiterated his promise to “unleash home building” by cutting the sales taxes on new homes, lowering development charges and rewarding cities “that permit over 15 per cent more home building.”
2 hours ago
Bloc leader, a Nordiques fan, buys a Habs jersey
Raffy Boudjikanian
Blanchet visits a sports memorabilia store in Quebec City. (Raffy Boudjikanian/CBC News)I’m Raffy Boudjikanian, a senior reporter with CBC News covering the Bloc campaign this week.
“If the Bloc Québécois can collaborate with Mark Carney, a fan of the Nordiques like me can throw a Canadiens jersey on,” Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said, letting go of the defunct Quebec City team’s jersey before turning his attention to an array of Montreal Canadiens jerseys on the walls of Logo Sport, a sports shop in Quebec City.
Blanchet joked about 3XL and 2XL being too wide for him before finding a size that was more suitable (which he did not disclose to the cameras).
But even as simple an event as picking out a jersey during the Stanley Cup playoffs can be a bit of an operation during an election campaign.
Before Blanchet arrived, a Bloc staffer took photos of different jerseys and sent them to a colleague who was with the leader.
Blanchet chose a classic red jersey.
The cashier told him he, too, is cheering for the Habs while waiting for the Nordiques to return, one day.
“It’s like collaborating with Ottawa while awaiting independence,” Blanchet said as he paid up.
2 hours ago
Today’s Poll Tracker update
Lucas Powers
Seat projections as of April 21, 2025, from the CBC Poll Tracker. (CBC)Here are the latest public polling developments as summed up by Éric Grenier of TheWrit.ca. He is managing the CBC Poll Tracker throughout the campaign.
“The Liberal lead in national polls has held steady, though it has slipped from around six or seven points to about five points on average,” Grenier wrote this morning.
“So far, it doesn’t appear that last week’s debates shifted voting intentions enough to bump the Liberals out of majority territory as the Conservatives have been unable to break the Liberals’ electorally decisive advantage in Ontario. The Bloc Québécois and New Democrats remain on track to suffer significant seat losses.”
2 hours ago
Poilievre says Conservative platform coming tomorrow
John Paul Tasker
Poilievre greets local Conservative candidates after making a campaign stop in B.C. over the weekend. (Rich Lam/The Canadian Press)Hi there, I’m J.P. Tasker. I’m following Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for the final week of this election campaign.
With only days left in the campaign — and more than two million ballots already cast in advance voting — Poilievre still hasn’t released a costed platform (as Lucas noted, Carney and Singh put theirs out over the weekend).
So I asked Poilievre today: Where’s the platform? What’s the holdup?
He’s been calling for an election for two years — and he, unlike many other opposition leaders in the past, had a relatively robust slate of policy proposals before this campaign even began — and yet there’s still no policy document.
Is it because he’s having trouble making the math work? After all, Poilievre is actually pitching more generous tax cuts and a pricier GST rebate for all new homebuyers — measures that will cost more than what Carney is pitching for housing price relief.
Poilievre said the platform will be released tomorrow and he will detail what he’s going to cut to pay for what he’s proposing, which also includes a major military buildup.
“Our approach is that every new dollar of spending should be met with savings,” Poilievre said.
He gave some hints about what’s going to get the axe: outside consultants, the “wasteful” gun buyback program, plus cuts to the bureaucracy and foreign aid and defunding the CBC.
But he’s also suggesting his aggressive natural resources agenda — through a commitment to approve major oil and gas projects and pipelines — will generate $70 billion in additional revenue.
We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see how it all adds up.
2 hours ago
Singh says Pope Francis showed world faith can be a force for justice
Catharine Tunney
Singh, centre, speaks with voters during a campaign stop in Victoria. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who is campaigning in Nanaimo, B.C., today and won’t be speaking until 9 a.m. PT (noon ET), issued a statement on the death of Pope Francis, saying the pontiff “showed the world that faith can be a powerful force for justice.”
“He spoke plainly about poverty, inequality and the climate crisis — and he challenged political and economic leaders to put people before profits,” Singh said.
“He didn’t just preach humility and compassion — he lived it. And in doing so, he earned the respect of millions, including many far beyond the Catholic Church.”
Singh called Pope Francis’s apology to residential school survivors in 2022 a meaningful step, although he acknowledged, “for many survivors, this apology was not enough.”
3 hours ago
‘If you ask, I’ll give you my number’
Catharine Tunney
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet was the guest on the popular Radio-Canada talk show Tout le monde en parle Sunday night, where he mentioned Carney gave him his cellphone number after last week’s debates.
Asked by a reporter why, Carney said, “Because I’m a nice guy.”
“He asked for it. I gave it to him. If you ask, I’ll give you my number,” he said, likely stressing out his staff (I’m sure journalists will try to take him up on his offer).
Joking that Ontario Premier Doug Ford hands out his cellphone number, Carney said he hopes he won’t get thousands of messages from Blanchet.
3 hours ago
Poilievre offers solidarity to Catholics mourning loss of Pope Francis
Catharine Tunney
Poilievre offers condolences after Pope Francis’s death
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre offered condolences to Catholics around the world on the loss of Pope Francis, saying ‘countless millions of Catholics and non-Catholics’ have been inspired by his leadership.
Before diving into his announcement this morning in Scarborough, Ont., Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre first offered condolences to Catholics on the death of Pope Francis.
“His role is of course at the centre of the Catholic Church and there have been countless millions of Catholics and non-Catholics that have been inspired by his leadership in faith and other domains,” Poilievre said.
“Our prayers are with all Catholics as they lay to rest the head of the Catholic Church and we are in solidarity in remembering him and honouring his contributions.”
3 hours ago
Liberal, NDP platforms are out
Lucas Powers
If you didn’t get the chance to follow campaign coverage during the long weekend, there were some pretty big developments on Saturday: the Liberals and NDP both released their costed platforms.
The Liberals pledged nearly $130 billion in new measures over the next four years, including a previously announced one percentage point reduction in the lowest marginal tax rate, taking it to 14 per cent from 15 per cent.
When combined with existing spending, the commitments will add $225 billion to the federal debt.
You can read more about the Liberal platform here.
At the heart of the NDP platform is a promise to raise about $94.5 billion by taxing the extremely wealthy, a plan designed to help finance tens of billions in new spending, deliver a tax cut for workers and expand Canada’s health-care system.
The NDP said those commitments will add $48 billion to the federal deficit over the next four years on top of the existing deficit.
Learn more about the NDP platform here.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has yet to release a costed platform, but did say it would be coming “soon.”
