What Do Canadians Care About Ahead of the Elections?

Canadians are heading to the polls today to vote in the country's general election. The two main opponents hoping to become prime minister are Liberal Party leader Mark Carney, a former central banker and successor to Justin Trudeau, as well as Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Party head. Other key names running for office include Jagmeet Singh of the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) and Yves-François Blanchet of the Bloc Quebecois. In this election, Canadians will cast their ballot for a member of parliament (MP) in their local area. The party with the largest number of MPs elected will then make up the government, with the leader of that party assuming the role of prime minister. 

The Liberal Party has run the country since 2015. However, in the latter part of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership, the polls indicated that the Conservatives switched to taking the lead. This gap began to narrow after Trudeau’s decision to step down from office at the start of 2025 and further still following the introduction of new tariffs by the Trump administration. According to a poll by CBC News, the Liberals are now ahead once more. 

So, as Canadians prepare to vote on April 28, the question arises: What do voters care most about? Out of a possible 18 issues, Canadians were most in agreement that the rising cost of living is a particularly pressing topic. Nearly two thirds of respondents said that it was a major issue in the country right now. The next most widely agreed-on important issues were housing, followed by health and social security. Local issues were at the forefront of people’s minds, with the question of defense and foreign affairs placing in a low rank 15 out of 18, with just 12 percent of Canadian respondents saying that it was one of the most important problems facing Canada right now.