Mark Carney Or Pierre Poilievre: Canadians To Choose Their Next PM Today

Canada Election 2025: Canadians are set to elect a new government on Monday, as the Liberals led by Mark Carney try to extend their hold on power against Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives. Candidates made their final push for votes on Sunday, but the final hours of campaigning were rattled by a deadly car-ramming attack in Vancouver. The deadly attack briefly shifted the nation's focus away from US President Donald Trump, whose trade war and threats to annexe Canada have outraged Canadians. 

Prime Minister Carney briefly paused his last day campaign schedule to address the nation after a driver plowed into a crowd at a Filipino street festival, killing 11 people. A 30-year-old man who police said had a history of mental health issues and previous interactions with law enforcement was in custody following the attack that injured dozens.  

Carney, a 60-year-old father of four, teared up as he voiced support for those affected and said, "Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter...Those families are living every family's nightmare." 

Poilievre, appearing alongside his wife at a church in the election battleground city of Mississauga west of Toronto, condemned the attack as a "senseless act of violence."

"Our hearts are with you today. All Canadians are united in solidarity with the Filipino community," Poilievre said.

What Opinion Polls Say?

Opinion polls show that Canadians believe Carney -- a two-time central banker and former college hockey goalie who took over this year after Justin Trudeau resigned-- is the strongest candidate ahead of Monday's election. Meanwhile, Poilievre, a 45-year-old who has been in parliament for two decades, has worked to keep the focus on living costs that soared during Trudeau's decade in power, arguing Carney would bring a continuation of what he calls failed Liberal governance.

However, pollsters say Carney's Liberals maintain a narrow lead in popular support ahead of final voting, thanks to his strong stance against the US after Trump slapped tariffs on Canada and repeatedly referred to the once-close ally as the 51st US state. The American President's comments enraged Canadians and reversed a lead of some 20 points for Poilievre, whom the Liberals have compared to Trump.

British Columbia's 43 electoral districts are among the country's most closely contested battlegrounds. A Nanos poll on Sunday said the gap between the two front-running parties was approximately 4 percentage points, slightly wider than it had been on Saturday. The poll put national Liberal support at 43 per cent versus 38.9 per cent for the Conservatives.

When Will Results Be Out?

Advance polls in Canada were held from April 18 to April 21, allowing voters to cast their ballots ahead of the general election day. Nearly 2 million Canadians voted on the first day of advance polling, setting a new single-day turnout record. On the final voting day on Monday, polling stations will be open from 9 am to 9 pm local time, allowing eligible voters to cast their votes. 

Given Canada's six time zones, results will begin to trickle in shortly after polls close in the Atlantic provinces. The final results will be reported as polling stations close in the Pacific time zone. 

Approximately 28 million Canadians are registered to vote across 343 ridings, an increase from 338 in the 2021 election. 

That result in national voting would likely translate into a Liberal win, because opinion polls show that the party's support is more concentrated than the Conservatives' in urban areas rich with electoral districts, or seats. It is unclear if it would result in the Liberals winning a majority of seats to govern without a smaller party's help.

When voting closes on Monday, Conservatives will be closely watching the performance of smaller parties like the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Quebecois. 

In past Canadian elections, strong NDP performances in Ontario and British Columbia, and a good showing by the Bloc in Quebec, have curbed Liberal seat tallies, but polls suggest both smaller parties could be facing a setback.  

(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)
 

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