Hello, welcome to Politics Insider, election edition. There are 11 days until voting day. Let’s look at what happened today.
Four of the major federal party leaders will be at their podiums tonight for the English-language leaders’ debate, the final such encounter before Canadians go to the polls on April 28.
“I hope it’s a good, open, transparent exchange tonight. That’s what I expect, and I am looking forward to it,” Liberal Leader Mark Carney, out in Montreal today, told journalists.
Tonight’s 7 p.m. ET debate will be hosted by Steve Paikin, a journalist with Ontario’s educational TV network TVO, who writes here about what the experience is like.
The debate follows a French-language debate last night in which leaders faced off over two hours over such issues as trade, affordability and housing.
It was a first, in-person political exchange between Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Also on stage: Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. All will be back for tonight’s two-hour debate.
Green Party Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault was scheduled to participate in last night’s debate as well as tonight’s, but was disinvited by Leaders’ Debates Commission, the organizer.
Please check The Globe and Mail for debate updates. The Globe has also organized an election debate bingo: You can get your card and play along as federal leaders face off.
Also today, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sharply criticized Bill C-69, also known as the Impact Assessment Act, and bluntly urged the next prime minister to get rid of it.
The legislation, enacted in 2019, empowers federal regulators to review the potential environmental and social impacts of resource and infrastructure projects, and has been deemed by critics as an impediment to development.
Poilievre has vowed to get rid of the legislation. Carney says he will maintain the legislation, though remove duplication of environmental assessments and other approvals for major projects in the national interest.
At a news conference today, Ford called the bill a “burden on development” that stalls necessary projects.
“Bill C-69 is a disaster in my opinion. I don’t support it. I’ll never support it,” he said. “I am dead against Bill C-69.”
The politics insider newsletter will not be published on Good Friday. However, it will be back on April 21.
Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Party chief Mark Carney arrives at CBC-Radio-Canada to participate in the English Federal Leaders Debate broadcast, in Montreal, Canada, on April 17, 2025.ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP/Getty Images
Elsewhere on the campaign trail
Conservatives pledge northern military bases and surveillance planes for Arctic: In a campaign announcement in Yellowknife, Conservative candidate Chris Warkentin said a government led by Pierre Poilievre would also buy a fleet of Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft to increase surveillance and command abilities for the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Arctic.
White House, Florida promote Canada drug imports while tariff threat looms: Canada currently exports more than $7-billion worth of pharmaceutical products to the U.S. annually, including finished products and key inputs, and imports about the same amount from the U.S.
Ontario promises faster mine approvals to counter Trump’s economic threats: In a press release, the province said the legislation will fast track permitting and streamline the regulatory process around certain strategically important resource projects in “special economic zones,” including the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario.
On our election radar
- Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, in Montreal, did a pair of broadcast interviews, and was scheduled to participate in the English-language leaders debate and speak to the media afterward.
- Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was scheduled to participate in the English-language leaders’ debate.
- Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault, in Montreal, unveiled the party’s election platform.
- Liberal Leader Mark Carney, in Montreal, visited a local business, and was scheduled to participate in the English-language leaders’ debate.
- NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Montreal, visited a local market, and was later scheduled to participate in the English-language leaders’ debate and then speak to the media.
Poll tracker
The poll by Nanos Research, conducted for The Globe and Mail and CTV, surveyed 1,150 Canadians from April 8. It has a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Respondents were asked: “For those parties you would consider voting for federally, could you please rank your top two current local preferences?” For the full methodology, go to tgam.ca/polls
Campaign quote
“I’ll be blunt. I don’t think there’s any credible threat to Canadian unity. I think that people like Preston Manning are seeking clicks and playing to a political base that is completely disavowed by the vast majority of Canadians, whether in western Canada, Eastern Canada or Central Canada. It is a tried trope. It is a waste of time and it is an attack on the unity that we have right now as a country standing up to the Trump administration for political partisan gains. I hate it. I think it’s awful. I want it to stop.” - B.C. Premier David Eby said at a news conference today in Victoria, referring to a Globe and Mail column by former Reform Party leader Preston Manning suggesting “that a vote for the Carney Liberals is a vote for Western secession.”
Question period
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will be facing 90 rival candidates as he seeks re-election in the Ottawa-area Carleton riding. Elections Canada has organized a super-sized ballot in response, with 91 names. Is this the longest such ballot in Canadian electoral history?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
The prime minister that Canadians need
There will be four party leaders debating in Montreal Thursday night, all making their pitch to voters. But will the prime minister that Canadians need, at a time of national crisis, be on that stage?
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Did the Conservatives go too hard on Jagmeet Singh?
The Conservatives’ numbers this election are better than they have been in any election since 2011, but if the NDP’s numbers stay where they are, that won’t matter: Mr. Poilievre will lose. He needs a stronger NDP to pull from the Liberals’ support.
— Robyn Urback, Columnist
If Danielle Smith loves Canada, she needs to prove it
Of all the statements made by Premier Danielle Smith over the last couple of months – maybe the last couple of years – none has been as mystifying as her assessment of what Alberta voters asked of her in the last election.
— Gary Mason, National Affairs Columnist
Go deeper
- Stay informed ahead of voting day with the latest updates.
- Follow along for our stories on Canada-U.S. relations as news develops
- Like a long read? Check out the fall of Justin Trudeau and the making of Pierre Poilievre
- Take a look at the history of immigration reporting and great political scandals from A Nation’s Paper, a book about The Globe and Mail’s role in Canadian history
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
The answer to today’s question: No. According to Elections Canada, the ballot for a 2024 byelection in the Montreal-area riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun featured 91 names. Both ballots reflect the efforts of electoral-reform activists.