CBC News
On Monday, April 28, over 68% of eligible Canadian voters cast ballots to choose their future leader in the Canadian election, someone they believed would bring change.
Canadians had many concerns they wanted addressed in this election, including housing, worries regarding the Trump administration, immigration, and developing a strong economy that could benefit all Canadians. Polls had predicted this election to be a landslide victory for the Liberals, projecting a majority government with 182 seats, but the official results proved otherwise.
Mark Carney of the Liberal Party is especially popular among those 55 and older, with polling showing that approximately 52% of older voters support him. Regarding his background as an economist, he claims to be the best at negotiating with President Trump’s threats regarding Canadian sovereignty, a key issue in the election amongst older voters.
In contrast, the voting patterns are starkly different amongst the younger population. Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives promised change from Justin Trudeau’s contentious 9-years as , which was plagued by numerous issues. Having swiftly criticised Trudeau for his governmental errors, he captured the support of many young voters. Indeed, a poll conducted by Nanos a day before the election projected that around 50% of those between ages 18 and 34 are dedicated voters towards Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives, with many believing he could fix Canada’s housing crises, build a stronger nation both domestically and internationally, and strengthen Canada’s economy and military.
When Justin Trudeau was still prime minister, Pierre Polievre was predicted to win a supermajority, 210 seats out of 343, with only needing 172 seats for a majority government. This changed, however, when Justin Trudeau resigned and Mark Carney became the new Liberal Party leader. Since then, Poilievre’s popularity has rapidly declined; polls conducted prior to election day predicted that he would only win about 126 seats, compared to Carney’s 182.
Ultimately, Mark Carney’s Liberals proved victorious in the election, though not by the margin pollsters predicted. He won a minority government of 169 seats, 3 seats away from a majority. Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives won 144 seats, 23 more than they had won in 2021. However, despite Pierre’s popularity amongst the young population, he had lost his riding of Carleton in Ottawa, where he had been a Member of Parliament for around 20 years.
The NDP (New Democrats), on the other hand, suffered a record defeat in the election. Held with low regard, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is vastly unpopular amongst the general population and some dedicated NDP voters, with many claiming he has mismanaged the party to oblivion. Evidently, the NDP only won 7 seats, compared to 2021’s 24. With both Liberals and Conservatives ahead of him, Singh even lost his seat in Burnaby Central, finishing in third place.
The Bloc Québécois, a party only running in Quebec, won 23 seats compared to 2021’s 33, losing 10 seats in total. Given the unpopularity of the Conservatives in Quebec, the Liberal Party won the majority of seats. Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet had won his seat, despite concerns about whether he would. The Green Party also suffered a crushing defeat; instead of winning two seats in the previous elections, party leader Elizabeth May now holds the lone seat they secured. Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party (PPC) won no seats and only won around 0.73% of the popular vote, compared to 5% in the previous 2021 election.