Early federal elections in Canada. What you should know

Exclusive. Canada is less than a month away from a federal election. Prime Minister Mark Carney (who succeeded Justin Trudeau after his resignation) has called a federal snap election on April 28, and immigration has become a major campaign issue.

It's worth starting with the fact that Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office and the trade war he started against Canada have softened the contradictions in the country's political establishment. The campaign will last only 37 days, which is the shortest possible period for Canada.

This will be the first election in decades in which former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's name will not be on the ballot, and Canada's two main parties — the Conservatives and Liberals — are leading the race.

Although Canadians do not vote for the prime minister directly, the leader of the party that receives the most votes traditionally heads the government.

It should be noted that Trump's actions towards the country of maple leaves had the opposite effect to what was expected.

The claim that the most western countries of the West, including Canada, are incapable of patriotism and do not resist any government because they are too concerned with “making money” is not true. Canadians have expressed their readiness to resist the head of the White House and defend their country. Having recently become the leader of the Liberal Party, Carney unexpectedly gained considerable support from his political force, which had previously been melting away every day. Many Canadians fear a shift to right-wing populism, and this has increased the rating of the Liberals.

Immigration has long been a key component of Canada's strategy to strengthen its economy, particularly in light of a labor shortage and an aging population. However, rising costs of living and housing problems have fueled public debate about reducing immigration. Mark Carney's government aims to welcome nearly 400000 new residents by 2025. His immigration policy focuses on economic immigrants, and he also seeks to ease the transition from temporary worker status to permanent residence. Carney presents immigration as a national asset and critical to Canada's global leadership.

Pierre Pouliève, leader of the Conservative Party, speaks out in favor of supporting skilled professionals, but emphasizes that the current level of immigration is inadequate due to a lack of housing and infrastructure. The Conservatives propose temporarily reducing the level of immigration, giving priority to skilled workers and speeding up the process of recognizing diplomas. The party intends to take measures to eliminate backlogs and delays in processing documents, as well as to strengthen border security. The Conservatives say that the level of immigration should be in line with Canada's capabilities.

For example, the Bloc Quebecois prefers to give priority to French-speaking migrants.

But it's not just immigration that Canada is concerned about. Trump's trade war with Canada is forcing Canadians to grow up as quickly as possible and not shy away from responsibility for the fate of the country.

Who will be the next Prime Minister of Canada? This question will be answered by a vote. And I will try to write about some of the possible ones. Who are they?

Let's start with Pierre Pouliev

Born in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta, he is the current leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Pouliev is sometimes compared to Donald Trump because of his populist policies and tendency towards confrontation.

Pouliève and his biological brother Patrick were adopted by Marlene and Don Pouliève, two school teachers. Pierre Pouliève grew up in Calgary, attending the Roman Catholic Church, but did not mention his faith much as an adult. One of his first exposures to politics was a Progressive Conservative meeting, which he attended with his mother.

Pierre Pouliev

Pouliev holds a degree in international relations. In 2004, Pouliev, 25, was elected to the House of Commons for the riding of Carleton in Ottawa. He quickly gained a following for his aggressive debating style, and his rise among the Conservatives was rapid. The Conservative Party came to power in 2006, and for two years Pouliev served as parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Pouliev subsequently held positions in Harper's cabinet, first as Minister of Democratic Reform (2013–15) and then as Minister of Employment (2015). In 2017, he married Anaida Galindo; they have two children.

Pouliev was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 2022 after the "Freedom Convoy" protest of truck drivers in Ottawa, protesting against the COVID-19 lockdown. He has since been frequently vocal in his attacks on the media and Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In April 2024, Speaker Greg Fergus expelled Pouliev from Parliament the day after he called Trudeau a "crazy prime minister" for supporting "stupid policies"; namely, decriminalizing possession of small amounts of certain hard drugs in British Columbia in order to reduce overdose deaths. Before expelling Pouliev, Fergus asked him to retract the comment, calling it "unparliamentary language." Pouliev suggested replacing "crazy" with "extremist" or "radical," and the remaining Conservatives supported their leader.

Trudeau's support has been waning for years, and the collapse of his deal with the New Democratic Party in September 2024 has brought his minority government to the brink of collapse. Recall that in December 2024, Trudeau's finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, resigned, expressing doubts about Trudeau's ability to deal with Trump, who has promised to impose a staggering 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods upon his return to the US presidency in January 2025.

Today, most Canadians do not have a very positive opinion of Pouliev, but he is going to become the next Prime Minister of Canada.

The most controversial statement in the context of the federal election is that of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

In an interview with a right-wing American media outlet, Danielle Smith said that despite their differences, Conservative leader Pierre Pouliève would be "very much in sync with... the new direction in America" ​​and that Canada and the United States would "have a great relationship" as long as Pouliève and Donald Trump were in office.

"If we had Pierre as prime minister, I think we could do a lot of things together," Smith said. "Pierre believes in development, he believes in affordable energy, he believes we should have low taxes, he doesn't believe in what's been going on in our politics for the last five years."

Chrystia Freeland once called Pouliev "maple syrup MAGA" when describing Conservative politics. So Smith's comments came as a gift to certain political circles.

Last week, Mark Carney stressed that Canadians will have to decide “whether they want a government that unites, protects Canada and takes deliberate steps to build a good economy” or whether they “want division and America.” “That seems to be what Mr. Pouliev is proposing,” Carney said. “Just endorsed by the premier of Alberta.”

In fact, politicians need to address Canada's immigration crisis to calm society and address housing problems. Rents in Canada have tripled, and in some places quadrupled, in the past few years.

"People are free to make their own comments," Poulyev said recently, promising the strongest response to Trump's threats.

Just a few months ago, any similarities between Pouillev and Trump might have been irrelevant. At least the Conservative leader's loud populism and aggressive tactics did not undermine the Conservative Party's chances of forming a government.

Who is Mark Carney?

Mark Carney was born in Fort Smith, in the Northwest Territories, and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Both of his parents were teachers (as were the adoptive parents of his main rival). As a child, he was a goalie for the Laurier Heights hockey club (in Canada, almost all boys play hockey), attended St. Francis Xavier High School, and received a scholarship to study in the United States.

Carney received a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University in 1988, followed by a master's degree in economics in 1993 and a doctorate in economics in 1995, both from the University of Oxford.

He began his career in finance and then went into public service in Canada to, as the Liberal Party says, help ensure that the Canadian economy is supported by things that Canadians value, particularly in the areas of health care and life safety.

During the 2008 financial crisis—one of the most turbulent economic periods in modern history—Carney led the Bank of Canada.

In 2013, he was invited to become Governor of the Bank of England, overseeing the UK economy during Brexit and the economic and political crisis that followed. Carney was the first non-British Governor of the UK's central bank.

In 2020, he began serving as the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, helping to bring the world together to build stronger economies while fighting climate change.

Mark Carney is the 24th Prime Minister of Canada. He was elected Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and was sworn in as Prime Minister in March 2025. He leads a government that has pledged to take action to unite Canadians, protect Canadian sovereignty, and build the strongest economy in the G7.

The Carney government has announced ambitious plans to create high-paying jobs, increase Canadian incomes, and ensure security in Canada.

Has four children.

He is described as intelligent, despite his sometimes sharp wit. Former Liberal environment minister Catherine McKenna says he is sincere and witty behind the scenes.

“Even though you see him a lot and he has a pretty serious look, he’s quite a funny guy,” she said.

McKenna and Carney have children about the same age, so they've been friends for over a decade. They once went kayaking together on the Ottawa River to learn how to curl.

"So you have a bank executive who curls, and everyone just hangs out curling or drinking beer and watching," she said at the time.

It is worth noting that Bob Carney, Mark's father, ran as a Liberal Party candidate in Edmonton against Doug Roche's Progressive Conservative Party.

Roche, now 96, came to Mark Carney's campaign presentation on January 16 to understand how it works and spoke positively.

Former MPs call him an "anti-politician," who stands in stark contrast to Trudeau's persona.

“He’s not a showman. He has a certain technocratic manner. It’s possible that given the particular moment in our country, particularly the reaction to Trump and Trumpism, Carney might be what people are looking for. He’s not narcissistic,” says one former senator. “He thinks in terms of social justice and talks in terms of the boardroom.

As the election race continues, his past successes as governor of Canada's central bank during the 2008 economic crisis have come under increasing criticism, with former Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaking negatively about Carney while fundraising for the Conservatives.

Yves-François Blanchett

Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchette is also in the running, and he has to tread a delicate line. As the leader of a supposedly separatist party in Quebec, he will be trying to gain votes on a surge in national pride.

It is worth noting that a year ago the bloc had a significant double-digit lead in public opinion in Quebec, but the Conservatives and Liberals began to catch up with it this summer. According to Nanos Research, the Liberals are now slightly ahead of the separatists, while the Conservatives are in third place in Quebec.

A few months before the election campaign began, Blanchett promised to begin talks with other opposition parties to bring down the government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Blanchett has always emphasized that he will always act in the interests of the people of Quebec. In his opinion, the best way to protect Quebec is through separatism. He had no hesitation in delivering his ultimatums.

Late last year, Blanchett said he was focused on electing as many MPs as possible, and his campaign is based on the idea that increasing the Bloc’s parliamentary seats will force whoever forms a government to prioritize Quebec issues. “A very strong Bloc Quebecois delegation will force any government to respect what Quebec wants,” he told the Canadian Press in December 2024.

“And the proof is in front of us: Justin Trudeau’s government has not respected Quebec, and it is quite possible that in the election they will receive a historically low number of seats in Quebec.” Quebec, he said, “is making them pay the price.”

Blanchett was born in Drummonville, Quebec, in 1965, and studied history and anthropology at the University of Montreal. He then worked as a teacher and in the music industry before running for political office, although his interest and involvement in politics began when he was in his early 20s.

He founded the concert management company YFB Inc. He was president of a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting independent Quebec artists and promoting the province's music industry. He also served as president of Quebec Earth Day for two years.

Blanchett first entered the Quebec National Assembly in 2008 as a member of the Parti Québécois (PQ). He was appointed Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks before losing to a CAQ candidate in the 2014 Quebec election.

He supplemented his political activities (both federal and provincial) with work as a commentator and columnist for various Quebec media outlets.

Meanwhile, at the national level, the Bloc Québécois was experiencing significant upheaval, first due to the loss of official party status during the 2011 federal election, and then during a series of leadership challenges culminating in the ouster of former leader Martin Houellebecq in 2018. Blanchette ran unopposed and became the party's leader in January 2019.

In the general election that year, the Bloc won 32 of the 75 seats available in Quebec. In the process, they regained official party status and replaced the NDP as the third largest party in the House of Commons.

The party went on to help the Liberals pass several bills in the House of Representatives (keeping them afloat as a minority), including the controversial Bill C-10 on regulating online content and measures to support Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic, including an expansion of the federal wage subsidy.

In an interview with CTV News during the 2021 campaign, Blanchett said he believed his party's success in 2019 was possible because other parties took notice, which benefited the province.

“The return of the Bloc Québécois has forced Canadian parties and parliament to change the state of affairs in Quebec for the better,” he said at the time. “Their sudden love for the French or recognition of the Quebec nation, improved border management, and protection of aluminum are eloquent signs of this.”

“These gestures are important because they demonstrate the presence of a bloc that makes clear, reasoned proposals, and is always focused on what is good for Quebec,” he also said.

In the last two consecutive party elections, Blanchett has led her party with over 50 percent of the vote.

Blanchett is divorced from his first wife, Nancy Déziel, with whom he has four children and two grandchildren. He is engaged to Karin Rodrigue, a political associate. His favorite drink is “a café latte with a strange but precise combination of maple, chocolate and cinnamon.” This is the kind of romantic separatist he is.

Jagmeet Singh

Jagmeet Singh, 46, is the leader of the NDP, a left-wing party that traditionally focuses on workers and labour issues. He made history in 2017 when he became the first ethnic minority and practicing Sikh to lead a major political party in Canada.

In 2019, the former criminal lawyer was elected as a member of parliament from British Columbia, where he held public office.

Jagmeet Singh

The NDP has helped Trudeau's Liberal government hold on to power since 2021, securing the necessary votes in parliament in exchange for supporting progressive legislation, including dental benefits for low-income families and a national pharmaceutical program covering birth control and insulin.

But in late 2024, Singh broke the confidence agreement after Trudeau's cabinet ordered its labour relations board to institute mandatory arbitration to shut down Canada's two largest railways.

Singh then said the Liberals had "failed the people" and "do not deserve another chance from Canadians."

Instead, his party has barely gained support. Polls show that only 9% of Canadians intend to vote for them as of mid-March, and while support for the NDP has declined, the number of Liberal supporters has increased.

Whether the NDP can increase the number of seats they hold in the House of Commons and retain official party status is a question that only an election can provide a definitive answer to.

In the early 2010s, the party had enough support to form the official opposition, meaning it was the second-largest party in parliament. By 2021, their number of seats had fallen to 24 out of 338.

Jagmeet Singh grew up in Scarborough, St. John's and Windsor and served as an MPP in Ontario from 2011 to 2017. On October 1, 2017, he became the leader of Canada's NDP – guided by the values ​​instilled in his childhood experiences, Jagmeet is building a more just Canada where everyone can pursue their dreams.

His family's story is similar to that of many Canadian families today.

Jagmeet's parents came to Canada to live a happy life. The family worked hard to barely pay their hefty bills, but they wanted their children to have a good life.

“The biggest influence in my life is my mother. As a child, she taught me that we are all connected. That we are all one. She explained to me that if one person suffers, we all suffer.”

He was an activist in college, fighting against tuition increases. He studied law to support community organizations that fight poverty, advocate for affordable education, and advocate for equal access to justice for marginalized communities.

Jagmeet entered politics in 2011. The people and communities Jagmeet fought for needed an ally in government, so he decided to run. He had heard from the start that a New Democrat would never win a seat in Peel Region. He refused to believe the cynics.

Singh believes that the key to success is empowering young people. By mobilizing young people and empowering them to take on leadership roles in their own communities, Jagmeet and his team have won.

Jagmeet is using his platform as MPP and deputy leader of the Ontario NDP to oppose arbitrary police stops — carding.

Many of his ideas are socialist—he talks about protecting and expanding public ownership of utilities and public infrastructure. But recently socialist ideas have been gaining support in Canada, partly due to the large number of immigrants.

The NDP leader has spent months trying to prevent a snap election, and now he is trying to increase the number of NDP supporters, convince voters of the need to protect fairly new social sources, such as dentistry and pharmaceuticals. It is worth noting that Canada has a request for a powerful defender to deal with US President Donald Trump.

Singh declared his candidacy for the upcoming election back in September 2024, a week and a half before the start of the fall session, when he shocked the federal political scene and (already) then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Singh withdrew his party from the coalition.

Singh faced pressure from Conservative leader Pierre Poilèvre to call a snap election, but after promising to consider each vote on its merits, the New Democrats voted to keep Trudeau's embattled minority in power.

Singh has repeatedly stated that, despite feeling the Liberals would lose, he is not interested in a snap federal election.

Only after the Liberals were engulfed in internal strife, culminating in Trudeau's resignation, did Singh indicate that he was prepared to vote against the Liberals, regardless of who was at the helm.

His campaign platform includes a significant expansion of free health care in Canada through a national dental care program and the first phase of a national pharmaceutical policy, which includes free contraceptives and diabetes medications.

In his 2019 autobiography, Love and Courage, Singh spoke about the experiences that shaped his worldview, including incidents of bullying and racism in elementary school, as well as abuse.

In 2018, he married businesswoman Gurkiran, and in 2022, Singh and his wife had their first daughter, Anhad, and in 2023, their second, Dani.

He continues to use his ability to connect with younger voters – thanks to his large social media following – to get his point across.

"When Donald Trump talks about the 51st state, he says he wants Canada to be more like America. He wants to replace our Canadian health care system with the American health care system," Singh told an audience of about 150 health care professionals and researchers in Ottawa in February. "To that we say, no."

Singh says the NDP’s dental care program was a success last year. “There are about 3,5 million people who have a dental card in their wallet. I happened to visit a dentist’s office in Ottawa and I met Sue — I’ve talked about her before because she definitely left a mark on my heart. She was a brave cancer survivor, but the chemo took her teeth. She showed the dentist a picture of herself with the beautiful smile she had and asked if the card would really bring her back. The dentist said yes, and the tears of joy on Sue’s face live on in my mind. I think of her when I think about who I’m doing this for — Sue and the millions of people like her who wouldn’t have a champion if it weren’t for the NDP.

From the latest: Jagmeet Singh does not see the possibility of supporting the Conservative government in parliament, while leaving open the question of supporting Mark Carney's Liberals.

This prompted Pierre Pouliève to say that the Conservatives would not challenge Quebec's controversial French-language law in the Supreme Court if they formed a government, because "the provinces have the right to make their own laws."

Pierre Pouliève's comments coincided with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh's announcement that he would not support a Conservative government. He would have to seek an alliance with the separatist Bloc Quebecois if the Conservatives win a majority of seats in the election but fail to form a majority government.

So Canada's electoral chessboard looks something like this, but we'll see how it actually plays out soon. All we can say is - wisdom and strength to you, wonderful Canada!

I added Maryna Kovalchuk, Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Central Europe and Canada), Project Manager, V5 Media