A last-minute voter’s guide for Canada’s federal election – National

Canadians will soon decide who will form the next government in Monday’s federal election — and there’s still time to become an informed voter before casting your ballot.

Global News has been tracking the campaign since it began last month, including the promises made by each major party on the issues that matter most to Canadians.

If you’re still undecided on who to vote for, here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know before election day on April 28.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is looking to win a fourth term in government for his party.

He’s facing off against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, New Democrat Party Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, Green Party co-leaders Jonathan Pedneault and Elizabeth May, and People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier.

This is the first federal election campaign for Carney, Poilievre and Pedneault as party leaders. Both Carney and Pedneault are looking to win a seat in the House of Commons for the first time.

Click here to find your riding and local candidates.

Canada’s fixed election date law means a federal election had to happen by October 2025. The question dominating Parliament Hill over the past year has been: when would one be called?

That came amid chaos within the federal Liberal ranks, which reached heightened intensity in September 2024 with calls for then-prime minister Justin Trudeau to resign due to record-low approval ratings and a growing internal revolt in the Liberal caucus.

In January 2025, he announced he would do so once a successor was chosen. Trudeau prorogued Parliament at the same time.

Carney was elected by party members as Liberal leader on March 9, and then called an election on March 23, with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon accepting his request to dissolve Parliament just days before it was set to return from prorogation.

The House of Commons and Senate have not sat since December 2024, since Parliament was still on a winter recess when Trudeau prorogued it.

Carney cited the extraordinary threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump — who was inaugurated in January and has imposed multiple rounds of tariffs on Canada and threatened its sovereignty — for his decision to call an election and set the campaign period at a relatively short five weeks.

Ipsos polling done exclusively for Global News at the start of the campaign showed Canadians ranked the Canada-U.S. relationship as one of the top three issues facing the country.

Both Carney and Poilievre say they want to hold talks on trade and security with the United States soon after the election.

A full breakdown of the promises made by each party can be found here, but here are some highlights from the major issues dominating the campaign:

Tariffs and U.S. relations

The main federal parties have all promised to boost Canada’s domestic economy and diversify its international trade relationships in an effort to move away from reliance on the U.S. amid Trump’s threats and attacks.

The Liberals say they would create a $2 billion strategic response fund to support the auto sector hit by Trump’s tariffs, while protecting manufacturing jobs and building “fortified” Canadian supply chains.

The party says it will also set up a $5-billion trade diversification fund and have all federal internal trade barriers eliminated by Canada Day this year.

The Conservatives have focused their tariff response plan on boosting natural resource development and exports, including speedy approvals for energy projects like pipelines and financial partnerships with Indigenous peoples.

Poilievre has pitched a loan program for tariff-affected businesses and vowed an early renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on free trade.

The NDP and Greens say they will prioritize Canadian business and manufacturing contracts over U.S. firms in sectors like defence, and have proposed tax-free savings bonds to shore up the economy against Trump’s tariffs.

The Greens call for an “economic NATO” of like-minded allies to counter U.S. economic aggression.

The Bloc Quebecois focuses its tariff response plan on shoring up affected Quebec industries like aluminum, aerospace manufacturing and agriculture. It proposes relief programs similar to the ones seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a “Buy Canadian” law that encourages the federal government to purchase goods made in the country.

Affordability and cost of living

The rising cost of living has been the top issue identified among voters in polling by Ipsos for Global News, and party leaders have all vowed to reduce Canadians’ financial burden — primarily through tax cuts.

The Conservative platform promises to lower federal income taxes by 15 per cent overall, including a 2.5 per cent cut to the lowest income tax bracket rate. The campaign estimates that a Canadian earning $57,000 in a year would save $900 under its proposal.

The Liberals have promised a “middle-class tax cut” that will see the marginal tax rate on the lowest tax bracket lowered by one percentage point. This could save Canadians up to $412 a year, the party says.

The NDP plan would cut GST from essential goods and services, including groceries, children’s items like diapers and clothing, telecom bills and home heating.

It says a proposal to increase the basic personal amount free from tax for those earning under $177,882 a year would save those Canadians $505 annually. Those tax cuts will be paid for through an excess profit tax on large corporations, the party says.

The Green Party’s “Fair Taxation” plan vows a tax on the “ultra-wealthy,” including big banks and tech firms, to give relief to working families. It calls for the elimination of federal income tax on earnings below $40,000.

The Bloc Quebecois says it will push for tax breaks for seniors who remain in the workforce, and a doubling of the GST credit in quarters where inflation exceeds the Bank of Canada target range of one-to-three per cent. It also supports limiting credit card interest rates.

Housing

All parties have promised to boost homebuilding to counter record-high housing costs and short supply.

Both the Liberals and Conservatives have vowed to eliminate the GST for new home purchases, but at different thresholds.

The Liberals say they would build nearly 500,000 homes annually over the next 10 years.

The party also plans to establish the Build Canada Homes entity that would act as a developer to speed up the construction of affordable housing.

The Conservatives say they would build 2.3 million homes over the next five years, and proposed selling off 6,000 federal buildings to make acres of federal land available to build new homes. Poilievre said he will set home-building targets for municipalities, with federal funding attached to those targets.

The NDP says they will build three million homes by 2030, replace the expiring House Accelerator Fund with a permanent $16 billion housing strategy, and bring in national rent control.

The Greens’ housing plan focuses on combating tax and legal loopholes used to buy homes and drive up prices while prioritizing non-market affordable housing. It plans to build 1.2 million non-market homes in the next seven years and mandate the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to finance that effort.

The Bloc Quebecois supports transfers of federal land and buildings at below-market rates and changes to capital gains tax exemption requirements to crack down on real estate “flippers.”

Defence spending

The Liberals, Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois all say they will reach the NATO defence spending target of at least two per cent of GDP per year by 2030, while the NDP sets a 2032 deadline.

All parties say they will boost Arctic security investments, with the Bloc Quebecois calling for Quebec aerospace and defence manufacturers to be prioritized for contracts.

The Liberals, NDP and Conservatives have vowed to boost military member salaries, benefits and on-base housing supply, all in an effort to meet recruitment targets and fill member shortages, which the Conservatives vow to complete within 18 months.

The Liberals and Conservatives both say they will overhaul and streamline defence procurement to get equipment faster, prioritizing Canadian manufacturers.

The Conservative platform projects a total of $17 billion in new defence spending over four years. Poilievre promised in February to build a permanent military base in Iqaluit to be completed within two years of a Conservative government, which will also build an Arctic naval base in northern Manitoba.

The Liberal plan adds $30.9 billion to defence spending over the next four years, largely backloaded into the last two. Carney announced before the election new investments in Arctic security, as well as partnerships with local Indigenous and Inuit communities.

The NDP and Greens have both said they would cancel Canada’s F-35 fighter jet contract with the U.S., which Carney ordered a review of in the wake of Trump’s tariffs.

Trudeau’s resignation and Carney’s election reversed a years-long polling drop for the Liberals, who have led the Conservatives throughout the campaign — although the race has tightened over time.

Ipsos polling conducted exclusively for Global News showed the Liberals six points ahead of the Conservatives after the first week of the race, with the gap doubling to 12 points two weeks in.

However, Liberal support has declined five points since then while the Conservatives have gained momentum, resulting in a gap of just three points in polling conducted after the two televised leaders’ debates.

The NDP have held steady at around 10 per cent support throughout the campaign, with the Bloc Quebecois hovering around five per cent and the Greens at two per cent.

Advance voting has come and gone, with an estimated 7.3 million Canadians casting an early ballot over the long Easter weekend — a record for advance voting turnout, according to Elections Canada.

If you applied for a special ballot voting kit prior to the Tuesday deadline, you have until Monday to return it by mail or to an Elections Canada office. More information on special ballots can be found here.

If you’re voting in person at your local polling station, you’ll need to prove your identity in one of three ways:

• A driver’s licence or other government-issued ID like a passport with your name, photo and current address;
• Two pieces of accepted ID with your name and current address (click here for a full list of accepted IDs); or
• Declare your identity and address in writing and have someone from your polling station vouch for you.

Most Canadian citizens 18 years and older are eligible to vote and, according to Elections Canada, are already in the National Register of Electors.

Registered voters will have received their voter information card by April 11, which includes their polling location and voting hours. If you didn’t receive one, you can contact Elections Canada online or by phone, or visit the agency’s website to get their voting information.

Elections Canada says having your voter information card and an accepted ID makes the voting process easier, but you don’t need to have the voter information card to vote as long as you are registered.

If you’re not registered but are eligible to vote, you can register online or at one of the offices. Elections Canada also makes it easy to register when you go to your polling station to vote.

A full breakdown of what you need to know in order to vote can be found here.

Preliminary results will start to be reported by Elections Canada shortly after polls close.

Media outlets use those results to project — with the help of advanced data and statistical analysis teams — the outcome of the election based on those preliminary results, which will take several days to be formally certified by Elections Canada.

Global News will bring you live, real-time results and winners online and on our broadcast channels.

Here is the breakdown of voting hours across the country as provided by Elections Canada (all times local):

• Newfoundland Time: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
• Atlantic Time: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
• Eastern Time: 9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.
• Central Time: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
• Mountain Time (and Saskatchewan): 7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.
• Pacific Time: 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Some electoral districts, such as the ones listed below, span more than one time zone. In these instances, the local returning officer, who has the consent of the chief electoral officer, determines one local voting time for the entire riding, which will be noted on voter information cards sent to electors in these districts:

• Labrador: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. NDT/8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. ADT
• Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine–Listuguj: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. EDT/9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. ADT
• Kenora–Kiiwetinoong: 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. CDT/9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. EDT
• Thunder Bay–Rainy River: 9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. EDT/8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. CDT
• Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River: 7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. CST/8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. CDT
• Columbia–Kootenay–Southern Rockies: 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. PDT/8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. MDT
• Kamloops–Shuswap–Central Rockies: 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. PDT/8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. MDT
• Nunavut: 9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. EDT/8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. CDT/7:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. MDT