Thursday, April 24, 2025
 

Are the top election issues shifting?

When the election campaign started late last month, the ballot-box question on most voters' minds appeared to be which leader and political party is best suited to face American threats to Canada's economy and sovereignty. 

But recent Vote Compass data suggests that could be changing. 

Ahead of the party leaders' debates last week, 25.2 per cent of the 319,210 responses to this specific question said Canada-U.S. relations was the most important election issue to them.

Now, with an additional 101,295 responses logged after the debates, only 19.6 per cent of respondents said this was the most important issue — and other issues have risen in importance.

The economy and finances is now the top issue, at 24.7 per cent — however that percentage itself hasn't changed much over time. Instead, other issues are gaining prominence. 

For example, before the debates, affordability and the cost of living hovered at about 10 per cent, but jumped to 12 per cent afterward. 

The needle moved on health care as well — which NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh brought up frequently in the debates — jumping a couple percentage points, from about six per cent to eight per cent. 

Read more from CBC's Verity Stevenson.

Welcome to Canada Votes. Every day, this newsletter will bring the latest from the 2025 federal election campaign straight to your inbox. We'll have CBC Politics' top stories, updates for each of the major party leaders, a photo of the day and insights from CBC's Poll Tracker. So stay tuned, there's a lot more in store.

Elections Canada signage is pictured near an advance polling station in Ottawa, on Friday, April 18, 2025. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

During the English leadership debate last week, some of the most compelling exchanges included Mark Carney fending off accusations from Pierre Poilievre that the Liberal leader was just another version of former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

"You spent years running against Justin Trudeau and the carbon tax," Carney said to the Conservative leader in one memorable exchange. "They're both gone."

"You're doing a pretty good impersonation of him with the same policies tonight," Poilievre responded.

There were similar moments throughout both debates — Poilievre trying his best to link Carney to his predecessor and the Liberal leader repeatedly stressing that he is a "very different person from Justin Trudeau."

The attempt to claim Carney and Trudeau are cut from the same political cloth has been a significant feature of the Conservative campaign. But it also raises questions just how fair such comparisons are, and have if they've been an effective point of attack against the Liberal leader.

Read more of Mark Gollom's analysis.

CBC's Poll Tracker

Last Updated: April 22, 2025, at 8:56 a.m

CBC's Poll Tracker, run by Éric Grenier of TheWrit.ca, has the latest polling numbers in the federal election campaign. You can click on the photo and check out the full website, complete with seat projections and the percentage chances of each party winning the election.

Here's the latest: A series of post-debate polls suggest that the margin between the Liberals and Conservatives has narrowed nationally, but the Liberals still hold the lead. The Conservatives are not closing the gap in the important battlegrounds of Ontario and British Columbia, leaving the Liberals as the heavy favourites to win the most seats — and likely a majority government. The New Democrats remain stuck in a distant third place while the Bloc has recovered a little in Quebec following the French-language debate.

Photo of the Day

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre plays bocce at the Croatian Sports and Community Centre of Hamilton, in Stoney Creek, Ont. on Wednesday. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press

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People gather for the 'Elbows Up' rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa last month. (Amber Bracken/Reuters)

Listen of the Day

Are election platforms passé? It’s a painful question for political nerds to ask, but a valid one for the average voter. 

House Party’s hosts eagerly await the ritual release of costed party platforms during this election campaign. (Some of us live for line-by-line expenses!) But, with so few days to go until the end of this campaign, is there much room to actually sway a voter with a fully-costed deficit strategy? And what are the most important promises in these platforms, especially those by the Liberals and Conservatives?

Listen to this episode of House Party — a weekly chat on one big, burning question — right here.