The economy, housing, pipelines: Not all claims in the federal election campaign were true

In an election campaign plagued by misinformation, exaggerated claims and even lies, how can voters tell what's true?

CBC's Election Fact Check Unit has looked into dozens of statements made by the leaders of the four largest federal parties. It found that each of the leaders — some more than others — has at times made statements or cited facts that were either out of date, misleading or just plain false.

Here's an overview of a few of the things each leader said on the campaign trail that didn't quite pass the smell test.

The claim: On April 3, Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill that in 2008-09, when he was governor of the Bank of Canada, the country avoided a recession.

The facts: It didn't. Canada did weather the crisis better than the United States, but its gross domestic product dropped for three consecutive quarters during that period — constituting a recession. Carney acknowledged this in February 2009, when he testified before the House of Commons finance committee.

"The global downturn and the declining demand for our exports will make this a very difficult year for Canada's economy," Carney told members of Parliament. "We are now in recession, with GDP projected to fall by 1.2 per cent this year."

The claim: On March 26, Carney told reporters that motor-vehicle manufacturing was Canada's second-largest export, providing 125,000 direct and nearly 500,000 indirect jobs.

The facts: The numbers Carney cited were out of date. According to Statistics Canada, motor-vehicle manufacturing was Canada's third-largest export in 2024 and accounted for 138,520 direct jobs.

The claim: On March 23, the day he launched the election campaign, Carney accused Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of planning to eliminate foreign aid.

The facts: Poilievre has said there would be "massive" cuts in foreign aid because he believes too much Canadian government money is going to dictators, terrorist groups and global bureaucracies. However, he has not said that a Conservative government would completely eliminate foreign aid.

The claim: In the final week of the campaign, Poilievre has often talked about a January 2025 report on social mobility in 2040 prepared by Policy Horizons, a think-tank within Employment and Social Development Canada. The report paints a bleak picture of Canada's possible future. Poilievre has portrayed the report as containing predictions and scenarios resulting from Liberal government policies in recent years.

The facts: While the report looks at possible scenarios for Canada in 2040, it doesn't make predictions. The report also includes a disclaimer saying that it "does not necessarily represent the views of the Government of Canada."

The claim: Over the past week, ever since the Liberal Party released its platform, Poilievre has said repeatedly that the Liberal Party's platform was drafted for former prime minister Justin Trudeau and that the party simply switched Carney's name for Trudeau's.

The facts: Poilievre bases his statement on an April 20 interview on CBC's Rosemary Barton Live, where a panellist said Liberal MP Mona Fortier had been working on the platform for months, well before Carney became leader.