Hello, welcome to Politics Insider, election edition. There are 20 days until voting day. Let’s look at what happened today.
The Canadian government’s retaliatory tariffs on vehicles imported from the United States will take effect Wednesday.
The move escalates the Canada-U.S. trade war and could increase the sticker price of U.S.-made autos by as much as 25 per cent.
Steven Chase reports that the federal Finance Department announced the counter-tariffs Canada is imposing on U.S-assembled vehicles will apply as of 12:01 a.m. EDT April 9.
Also today, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is vowing to crack down on tax cheats by closing offshore tax loopholes, a plan that his party says would recoup $1-billion a year from those who try to hide their wealth overseas.
Nojoud Al Mallees and Laura Stone report that Poilievre made the announcement in Edmonton today, where he held a large rally the evening before with former prime minister Stephen Harper.
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Mark Carney says he, and not Poilievre, was at the table managing crises during Harper’s years as prime minster.
During a campaign appearance in the Vancouver-area city of Delta, Carney said that while he was working alongside the Harper government as then-governor of the Bank of Canada to manage the 2008 financial crisis, Poilievre wasn’t given the same level of responsibilities.
“I note that Pierre Poilievre was not at any of those tables, was not given any of that responsibility, and note further that in subsequent years, he has not gained any responsibility in managing crises or difficult situations,” Carney said.
Pierre Poilievre gives the thumbs up during a campaign stop in Edmonton on April 8, 2025.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
Elsewhere on the campaign trail
Robert Lighthizer keynote speaker at Canada Strong and Free Network conference: The top tariff power broker from Donald Trump’s first cabinet is appearing at a conference in Ottawa this week, which includes a who’s who of premiers, former politicians and Conservative strategists.
Seventy-four independent candidates running in Poilievre’s riding as part of protest: Tomas Szuchewycz , spokesperson for the Longest Ballot Committee organizing the protest, said its goal is to point out the conflict of interest of having politicians in charge of election rules.
Alberta Premier says Mark Carney has issues with strong conservative women: “I’ve noticed this with progressive men and how much they talk about how much they support women until they meet a strong conservative woman,” Danielle Smith said in Edmonton, responding to the federal Liberal Leader using her as a stump-speech punchline,
How Mark McKinney landed Mark Carney role on 22 Minutes: “The only challenge with playing him is that if I don’t move my eyebrows, if I keep them as close to the tops of my eyes as possible, that’s the best,” McKinney said ahead of Monday night’s taping of the show for broadcast today.
On our election radar
- Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is in Ottawa for campaign commitments that included a news conference and meeting with the husband-and-wife ambassadors from Germany as well as Japan’s ambassador to Canada.
- Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a news conference in Edmonton and was scheduled to do an evening rally in the Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie.
- Elizabeth May, the Green Party Co-Leader, held a news conference in the southwestern Ontario city of Guelph to present her party’s health platform, then travelled to Toronto to address issues around the Toronto Island Airport. Meanwhile, Party Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault campaigned in the Montreal riding of Outremont where he is a candidate.
- Liberal Leader Mark Carney made an announcement in the Vancouver-area city of Delta and took media questions, visited a business in nearby New Westminster, and was scheduled to travel to Calgary for an evening rally.
- NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made an announcement in Vancouver, visited a picket line in the dispute involving LifeLabs, a provider of laboratory testing services, and met with Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
Campaign quote
“Were any of you there? It’s magic, eh? Incredible,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, at a news conference in Edmonton today, commenting on a Monday night campaign rally in the Alberta capital. Organizers said upwards of 10,000 people registered for the event.
Question period
Who was Canada’s first ambassador to China?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
The federal election is a chance to reform health care, if we would be so bold
But as our wannabe PMs wrap themselves in the flag in response to Mr. Trump’s threats, we should not forget that there is nothing more quintessentially Canadian than medicare.
— André Picard, Health Columnist
Let the real election campaign finally begin
We have said from the start that the most important question in the election campaign is not who can manage the unmanageable, but who has the boldest ideas for making Canada more productive, more investment-friendly, more resilient and less dependent on the United States.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
It’s not too late to prevent a U.S. invasion of Greenland
But what, short of using force, could Canada and our European allies do if Mr. Trump ordered an invasion? Impose more tariffs on the United States? Call a meeting of the UN Security Council, where the U.S. holds a veto? Expel the U.S. from NATO?
— Michael Byers, Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia
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: Victor Odlum, a former soldier and newspaper publisher in Vancouver. Prime Minister Mackenzie King sent Odlum to China in 1943 and he stayed until 1946. From 1947 to 1952, he was Canada’s ambassador to Turkey.