Election 2025: Campaign Roundup - Day 19

Welcome to Day 19 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 19:

• More than 130,000 Canadians have already voted in the 2025 federal election, more than double the number at this point in 2021. Elections Canada reports that while a similar number of special ballots have been issued compared to the last election, significantly more have been returned so far. Voters have until April 22nd to vote by mail or at a local Elections Canada office.
  
  
• Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has pledged to pay cities up to $25,000 per home to reduce development charges, which he calls "homebuilding taxes," as part of his plan to lower housing costs. He also plans to eliminate federal housing programs like the Liberal Housing Accelerator Fund and require cities to disclose fee reductions.
  
  
• NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said that Mark Carney’s plan to balance the budget could lead to $43 billion in cuts, potentially affecting health care, though Carney denied this, pledging no cuts. Singh accused Carney of using “banker-speak” and said freezing health care spending amounts to a cut amid rising demand.
  
  
• Mark Carney paused his election campaign for a third time to address escalating trade tensions with the US, convening a cabinet committee meeting after President Trump excluded Canada from a 90-day global tariff pause. Carney criticized the ongoing tariffs on Canadian goods and emphasized the need to protect workers and prepare for post-election negotiations.
  
  
• Pierre Poilievre criticized Mark Carney for failing to secure tariff relief from the US, despite other countries getting temporary pauses, while Carney argued Canada was never subject to Trump’s new “reciprocal” tariffs. Carney pledged to negotiate a new economic and security deal with the US if re-elected. Both leaders acknowledged the challenges posed by Trump’s trade policies.