Election 2025: Campaign Roundup - Day 12

Welcome to Day 12 of Canada Minute’s 2025 Campaign Roundup!

With the 2025 Canadian federal election now finally underway, we'll be bringing you daily updates on all the policy proclamations, platform promises, and political point-scoring from the campaign trail.

Campaign Roundup - Day 12:

• Mark Carney, acting in his capacity as Prime Minister, announced that Canada will impose 25% tariffs on non-CUSMA-compliant vehicles from the US in response to President Trump’s new tariff regime. He emphasized that the counter-tariffs, expected to generate $8 billion, will directly support affected Canadian auto workers and companies. Carney also confirmed that existing Canadian tariffs on US goods, including steel, aluminum, and consumer products, will remain in place until the US removes its levies on Canadian exports.
  
  
• Carney suggested that Canada is prepared to take the lead in a coalition of nations committed to free trade and global cooperation in response to the tariffs. "If the United States no longer wants to lead, Canada will," he said, and committed to strengthening trading relationships with other partners.
  
  
• Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said that he has not reached out to President Donald Trump’s administration to avoid dividing Canada’s voice on international relations. Speaking in Toronto, Poilievre emphasized his focus on economic policies, including boosting energy projects and supporting businesses affected by US tariffs.
  
  
• NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh proposed tax-free "Victory Bonds" to fund public infrastructure while countering economic challenges posed by US President Donald Trump's auto tariffs. Singh framed the initiative as a modern response to a "trade war," allowing Canadians to invest in their country with five- and ten-year bonds at a 3.5% compounding interest rate.
  
  
• People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier pledged to abolish the capital gains tax and drastically cut federal spending, including eliminating corporate welfare, foreign aid to Ukraine, and CBC/Radio-Canada. During a campaign stop in PEI, he criticized the tax policies of Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney as insufficient and called for a "big tax revolution" to attract investment and ease the cost of living. Bernier claimed his party would eliminate the federal deficit in one year and fund tax cuts by cutting $60 billion in government programs.