Top political parties gear up for Sunday election call

By Canadian Press on March 21, 2025.

OTTAWA — With a federal election call widely expected on Sunday, the three main political parties are ramping up their attacks and trying to pitch their leaders as the best people to guide Canada through difficult days ahead.

At a morning news conference in Ottawa, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made a campaign-style announcement about boosting training and employment for workers in the skilled trades.

He also took the opportunity to claim Prime Minister Mark Carney wouldn’t be able to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump as well as he could, and vowed to “unleash the great Canadian promise.”

Carney met with the leaders of the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami ahead of a scheduled meeting with premiers and territorial leaders Friday afternoon.

As that meeting with Indigenous leaders was taking place, the NDP released a statement lamenting what they called Carney’s poor track record on respecting Indigenous rights while he worked at Brookfield Asset Management.

Carney’s meeting with premiers is expected to be focused on Chinese and U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press