Mark Carney is positioning himself to the right of previous Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
He has promised to cancel a change to the capital gains tax code that collects a bit more money from the ultra-wealthy. He also pledged to increase military spending. And he scrapped the consumer carbon tax, which was a central demand of Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
Carney has also hinted that he’ll cut funding to social programs, and has promised he would fast-track oil pipeline approvals (likely in violation of Indigenous rights).
The Liberal leader is hoping to sail to victory by being tough on Trump, and painting Poilievre as aligned with the U.S. president.
The Liberals had been lagging in opinion polls in the winter, but Trump’s tariffs and his threats of annexing Canada changed the equation. Liberal support has shot up, mostly at the expense of the NDP. Conservative support remains relatively high, but may not be enough to win the majority that was projected a couple months ago.
Core Toronto ridings are often tight races between the Liberals and NDP. In Etobicoke, Scarborough, North York and beyond, races tend to be between the Liberals and Conservatives. Those suburban ridings may play a significant role in deciding the election.
This article appeared in the 2025 April/May issue.
