March 20, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to call a snap federal election on Sunday that would set the stage for a vote as soon as April 28, sources confirm to CTV News.
The sources say a final decision on whether election day will be April 28 or May 5 has yet to be decided, but will be made shortly.
Carney was sworn in as prime minister on March 14 after winning the Liberal leadership race just days prior.
Parliament was set to return this coming Monday after being prorogued for two months following former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement. By calling an election on Sunday, Carney will not have to present a throne speech or face confidence votes that could bring the Liberal minority government down. Carney also does not currently have a seat in the House of Commons.
Since Trudeau’s resignation and U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Liberals have seen a surge in many polls. According to the latest Nanos Research survey – released Tuesday – the Conservatives are leading by just one point with 35 per cent of federal voting intention, while the Liberals sit at 34 per cent.
Trump and his trade war – and who is best to deal with that – are likely to be the ballot box issue. That same Nanos Research survey says Trump and U.S. relations is the top issue of national concern at 26.8 per cent, followed by jobs and the economy at 16.7 per cent.
Reacting to the news that the long-anticipated and now-imminent election call both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh signalled they are ready to make their case to Canadians why they’re best placed to meet the moment.
“I want to bring it home, and that’s why we need to put Canada first. It’s time to bring home our jobs, energy and economic sovereignty,” said Poilievre who has been in campaign mode all week, making near daily policy announcements.
Singh framed the choice voters have as being between Carney and Poilievre “who have already shown you they’re in it for the billionaires,” or the New Democrats, who he said “are going to continue to fight for you and your family.”
Carney is expected to make an announcement on affordable housing in Edmonton later today.
He has yet to announce where he intends to run for his first-ever seat in the House of Commons, though speculation has swirled that it could be in his former Alberta stomping grounds, a downtown Toronto constituency, or in a riding in the nation’s capital.
The federal election is coming months ahead of the fixed election date, and while some adjustments have been made, many of the rule changes the government was hoping to implement were not approved by Parliament before it was prorogued.
One major change with this campaign is that, following a recent federal electoral district redistribution, there are now 343 seats up for grabs, up from the current 338 ridings.
