Election 2025: Campaign Roundup - Day 3

Welcome to Day 2 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 3:

• The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, representing 12,000 workers across Canada, has endorsed Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and all Conservative candidates in the upcoming federal election. The union praised Poilievre’s "Boots not Suits" policy, emphasizing his commitment to energy sector expansion, apprenticeship training, and reducing reliance on foreign labour.
  
  
• Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledged that no Canadian would lose their federal dental care or pharmacare coverage under his government. Speaking in Vaughan, Ontario, he emphasized his commitment to protecting these programs while also promising to reduce bureaucracy in child care.
  
  
• Poilievre pledged to eliminate the GST on new homes sold for up to $1.3 million, expanding on his previous promise to cut the tax for homes under $1 million. He accused Liberal Leader Mark Carney of copying his policy after Carney recently proposed a similar GST exemption for first-time buyers. Poilievre said his plan would spur the construction of 36,000 homes annually and be funded by cutting Liberal housing programs.
  
  
• Former Liberal MP and Cabinet Minister Sean Fraser has reversed his decision to retire and will seek re-election in the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova after a call from Liberal Leader Mark Carney. Fraser, who had cited family reasons for stepping down, said Carney assured him he could balance politics with family life. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the move, arguing Fraser contributed to the housing and immigration crises.
  
  
• Liberal Leader Mark Carney has pledged a significant boost to Canada’s defence spending. Speaking at a Halifax shipyard, he emphasized the need to protect Canada’s sovereignty, including investments in submarines, icebreakers, and military recruitment reforms. While he did not specify exact spending figures, Carney promised a pay raise for military personnel and a modernization of procurement processes.
  
  
• Poilievre offered to pay the $75,000 broadcaster fee for Mark Carney to participate in the now-cancelled French-language debate hosted by TVA. Poilievre accused Carney of avoiding the debate to evade accountability for the Liberals' record, while Carney cited the exclusion of Green Party leader Elizabeth May as his reason for not attending. TVA canceled the debate after the Liberal Party declined to participate.