Overview

• Early voting has started for Canada’s April 28 federal election, with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals holding a slight polling lead over Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
• Carney’s campaign centers on countering U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs with retaliatory measures and creating a unified domestic market by eliminating interprovincial trade barriers.
• Carney released his detailed platform, pledging $129 billion in spending over four years, including investments in infrastructure and defense, while promising a middle-class tax cut.
• Poilievre frames himself as the candidate for change, accusing Carney of continuing Trudeau-era policies and failing to address housing affordability and economic stagnation.
• The debates reinforced Carney’s focus on managing the trade crisis, while Poilievre sought to challenge his credibility and differentiate his vision for Canada’s future.