It’s official. On Sunday, March 23, Canada’s newly appointed prime minister, Mark Carney, called a spring federal election.
Canadians will go to the polls on April 28 to determine whether Carney and his Liberal Party will maintain control of Parliament or end nearly ten years in power.
The nation was already primed for a federal election this year, but Justin Trudeau’s resignation on January 6 prompted those plans to be sped up.
That gives Canada’s major parties, and their slate of candidates, just five short weeks to win over voters.
The Liberals are led by Mark Carney, the Conservatives by Pierre Poilievre, the New Democrats by Jagmeet Singh, the People’s Party of Canada by Maxime Bernier, and the Greens by joint leaders Jonathan Pedneault and Elizabeth May.
Two leader debates have been scheduled. A French language edition will be held on April 16, with the English language edition airing the very next evening.
Polls indicate a close two-way race between the governing Liberals and opposition Conservatives.
Prior to Trudeau’s resignation, most polls agreed that Poilievre held a substantial 24-point lead. Rising inflation and the carbon tax were cited as sore spots for many Canadians.
Since January, though, the Liberals have bounced back substantially and even lead many national polls. Their change in fortunes in largely attributed to soured relations with the United States, including the ongoing trade war and threats to Canadian sovereignty.
If elected as prime minister, it will be Carney’s first time being elected to public office after having served in advisory roles. Until his selection to succeed Trudeau, he served as the governor of the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada.
Poilievre first took federal office in 2004 when he was elected to represent the Conservatives in his Ontario riding of Nepean-Carleton. He became leader of the opposition in 2022.
Locally, voters throughout Niverville, Ritchot, and the neighbouring municipalities fall into the Provencher riding. The current member of Parliament for Provencher is Ted Falk, representing the Conservatives.
Running against Falk are Trevor Kirczenow (Liberals), Blair Mahaffy (Green), and Noel Gautron (People’s Party).
Provencher has long been a stronghold for the Conservatives, who have held the seat 16 times over the past 18 elections. If re-elected, this will mark Falk’s fifth term in office.
In the coming weeks, The Citizen will publish articles featuring each local candidate.
