Federal election to be held
on April 28 or May 5

Vote will determine whether Canadians want a government led by Marc Carney or Pierre Polievre

By Irwin Rapoport

March 20, 2025

This Sunday Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carne will meet Governors-General Mary Simon and announce that Canadians will be going to the polls in a federal election to be held on either April 28 or May 5, in what is expected to be one of the shortest election campaigns in our country’s history.

That we are having one has been an open secret and the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, Bloc Quebecois, and Greens have been preparing for it. By Sunday morning, we can expect to see a plethora of election signs on hydro poles and others in every riding.

The major premise of the election has already been decided – which party and prime minister can bet stand up to Donald Trump and his plan to annex Canada and make it the 51st state. The American president has already weighed in and declared that he would prefer that the Liberals win.

The major premise of the election has already been decided – which party and prime minister can bet stand up to Donald Trump and his plan to annex Canada and make it the 51st state.

The election will determine whether Canadians want a government led by Carney and the Liberals or by Pierre Polievre and the Conservatives. Recent polls have pointed out how the Liberals and Conservatives are neck-in-neck in terms of popular support, with the NDP hovering at the 10 percent level, the Bloc around seven or eight percent and the Greens with three percent support at best.

Save for Quebec, it will be a two-party race. Many pundits believe the NDP will be decimated, retaining a few seats and the Greens, most likely keep their two current seats.

The inefficient Conservative voter base is concentrated in western Canada where it has a plurality of votes, whereas Liberal support is more evenly distributed and is being bolstered by NDP voters deserting their party to support Liberal candidates to prevent vote splitting which could lead to a majority or minority Conservative government.

Trump’s threats toward Canada are real and will continue over the next four years. He wants to impose crippling tariffs to devastate our economy and according to his logic, we Canadians will beg him to let us join the United States as the 51st state. Dream on Donald…

The problem with a one-issue election campaign is that it seriously sidelines key issues that Canadians should be concerned about and thoroughly discussed. Top-of-mind issues include the environment and all that it entails from climate change to protecting biodiversity and dealing with pollution; how we develop our resources and whether it is a free-for-all or is carefully thought out; the way we treat the First Nations and Inuit peoples and resolve land claims, financing of their communities, and various legal disputes; the future of Medicare and how we deliver and finance healthcare; our economic relationship with the U.S., China, and Europe and the upcoming talks in 2026 to renegotiate the USMCA trade pact; managing ethical issues surrounding AI and the protection of our territorial sovereignty.

‘The problem with a one-issue election campaign is that it seriously sidelines key issues that Canadians should be concerned about and thoroughly discussed.’

I doubt these issues will receive serious attention, save for the usual word salad.

We have to ask whether we have nationally televised leaders’ debates on the major networks – CTV, CBC, and Global. In the last two elections, this has not been guaranteed as the major parties are not on the same page. Instead, we had debates held via other forums. We deserve two English debates and a minimum of one French debate that every Canadian can easily access.

In regards to local debates in the ridings. some have several such as the NDG-Westmount riding which usually has three or four at various venues that last for two to three hours. The usual format is that the candidates have a few minutes to speak at the beginning and end and respond to questions in the middle section. These can be beneficial, but far too often the media coverage is minimal, barely scratching the surface and essentially providing us with sound-bites. I’m not sure how this can be reformed to maximize the information voters need to make informed decisions.

To be sure, the election campaign will be a wild rollercoaster ride, complete with twists and turns, negative political ads and personal attacks, a barrage of advertising, columnists and pundits sharing their thoughts. At one point it will reach a crescendo and simply become background noise.

As voters we have the opportunity to discuss the elections issues with friends and families, visit campaign offices, and question candidates that knock on our doors. Some people are already committed and some are open to candidates based on their personalities, views and party positions. We all vote for different reasons, but the singular thing we must do is vote and take a stand.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.

Feature image: William John Gauthier via StockPholio.net