Election 2025: Stakes are high for all three major party leaders

In a moment of global uncertainty, Canadians appear to be looking for reassurance in an unexpectedly competitive federal election. Change is coming to Ottawa, one way or another.

The stakes are high as Canada is thrust into a general election campaign, not just for the country but for the leaders of all three major national parties.

Canada’s 45th federal election, which formally kicked off Sunday afternoon, will see a new prime minister elected and a new cabinet come to power – whatever the outcome.

Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney, sworn in as prime minister just last week after being elected party leader to replace Justin Trudeau, will seek to return the Liberals to power for a fourth time in 10 years. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will seek to capitalize on years of anger at the Liberal brand and install his party in power for the first time since Stephen Harper was defeated in 2015.

The New Democrats, meanwhile, are fighting for oxygen in the contest which could be Leader Jagmeet Singh’s last kick at the can. The Bloc Québecois are facing similar headwinds, with Carney’s Liberals regaining ground in the province.

The contest will take place against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s unprecedented economic attacks against Canada, and in a time of near-constant uncertainty on the world stage, with conflict raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, an increasingly muscular China and the looming threat of climate change.

No pressure.

It’s also taking place in the context of a dramatic if not unprecedented swing in national polling. The Conservatives have enjoyed a comfortable lead over the Liberals in voter preference since Poilievre took over the party in 2022, leading by double-digit percentage points for months at a time.

That appears to have changed after Justin Trudeau resigned as prime minister in January. Since then, the Liberals have steadily grown in popularity among voters, and according to most national public polls are now statistically tied or enjoying a slight lead over the Conservatives.