Canadians head to the polls April 28 as PM Mark Carney triggers a spring election

Canadians will head to the polls on April 28 after Prime Minister Mark Carney formally met with the Governor-General to dissolve the 44th parliament, bringing an end to the longest-running minority government in Canadian history.  

Carney visited Gov. Gen. Mary Simon on Sunday one day before parliament was supposed to return after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued it in January. 

The April 28 date is the earliest possible day to send Canadians to the polls under the Elections Act, one day longer than the minimum 36 days required by law. 

At the time of dissolution, the Liberals held 153 seats, the Conservatives held 120, the Bloc Quebecois had 33 seats, the NDP had 24, the Green Party held 2 seats and there were three independents. 

Carney was elected as Liberal leader to succeed Trudeau on March 9 and was sworn in as prime minister along with his new cabinet on March 14.

The Liberal party confirmed Saturday that Carney will run for a seat in the House of Commons in the Ottawa riding of Nepean, which has been held by Liberal MP Chandra Arya for the last decade. Arya, who was told two months ago his candidacy for the leadership of the party would not be accepted, was informed this past week that his nomination to run in the Ottawa riding had been revoked.

Carney will be running in a riding adjacent to his main rival, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, who is seeking re-election in Carleton.

The Liberal leader kicked off the campaign by announcing a middle-class tax cut while also vowing to strengthen Canada’s economy and stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Carney says reducing the marginal tax rate on the lowest tax bracket by 1 percentage point will directly benefit more than 22 million Canadians with two-income families realizing a savings of up to $825 a year.

Carney went on to say he has experience solving problems instead of pointing them out – a direct shot at rival Pierre Poilievre – and says an election is necessary to have a strong response to American economic threats.

“There is so much more to do to secure Canada, to invest in Canada, to build Canada, to unite Canada. That’s why I’m asking for a strong, positive mandate from my fellow Canadians,” said Carney.

Poilievre launched his campaign an hour before Carney addressed the media, saying he planned to restore the promise of Canada and tackle affordability issues that he blamed on elites.

“Our nation is more divided than ever before because the Liberal, radical, post-national, borderless and globalist ideology has weakened our nation,” Poilievre said in Gatineau, Que., overlooking Parliament Hill.

“Now, desperate for a fourth term, Liberals have replaced Justin Trudeau with his economic advisor and handpicked successor, Mark Carney.”

Poilievre said he would bring down the cost of living and fix the immigration system while having a strong military.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh launched his campaign from a downtown Ottawa hotel, reiterating his party’s success in convincing the Liberals to enact national dental care and pharmacare programs.

He said the other two parties aren’t the best to manage “Donald Trump’s illegal trade war” because they support the rich.

“The people who earn their living by showing up to work, who dream of owning a home, raising a family, and retiring with a modest pension — they’re being abandoned,” he said.

“When Donald Trump comes demanding concessions, who will say no to trading away Canadian jobs or the things we grow and build and ship?” 

The Green Party launched its campaign in Montreal with co-leader Elizabeth May saying her team is the only one standing up to fight climate change, after the Liberals suspended their consumer carbon levy.

‘We don’t make up our mind by checking the winds of popular views and polls,” May said. “We stand up for Canadians and for our planet based on what scientists tell us.”

At 34, co-leader Jonathan Pedneault is the youngest of the federal leaders, and will be the face of the party during the campaign, including taking part in the debates.

The election comes at an opportune time for Carney’s Liberals, who – for the first time since 2022 – have surpassed the Conservatives in several polls.

While domestic policies will play a large part in this race, Canadians’ anxieties about U.S. President Donald Trump and his trade war and sovereignty threats loom over this campaign. Trump has become a clear ballot box question for voters, who will be choosing who they believe will be the best party and Prime Minister to stand up to his tariff threats, negotiate a potential deal with him, expand Canadian markets and improve the economy to cushion workers and businesses from the economic storm the country is facing.

“We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney said in his opening remarks. “Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada. President Trump claims that Canada isn’t a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen.”

The parties have been busy nominating candidates and organizing leaders’ tours; to date, the Liberals have nominated only about half of a full slate of candidates. The Conservatives, NDP and Green Party each have nominated candidates in more than 200 of the 343 ridings.

Carney has managed to snag some big names to run for the Liberals in recent days including former Canadian television journalist Evan Solomon and Carlos Leitão, a former Liberal finance minister in Quebec.

The Conservatives have a sizable war chest for the election after a banner fundraising year, having raised almost $41.8 million in 2024.

The Liberals raised about $15.2 million and the NDP took in close to $6.3 million in donations over 2024 — though the Liberals are likely to see a sizable influx of cash in the wake of their leadership race, which saw Carney alone raise more than $4.5 million in less than two months.

Files from Cormac Mac Sweeny and The Canadian Press were used in this report