White House brings back ’51st state’ rhetoric as party leaders prepare to face off in debates

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Poilievre proposes policies to tackle sophisticated scams

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The leaders of Canada’s major political parties spent Tuesday in the Montreal area, where they will go toe-to-toe later this week in two high-stakes leaders’ debates.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney announced an upskilling benefit for workers in the middle of their careers who need training. It would provide up to $15,000 for employees in priority sectors such as construction and health care.

Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre promised a Conservative crackdown on financial scams targeting seniors, with increased fines and prison sentences for convicted fraudsters.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh criticized both the Liberals and Conservatives for scrapping a planned increase to the capital gains tax.

Also on Tuesday, graduates of Ecole Polytechnique who witnessed the university’s 1989 mass shooting massacre weighed in on the various gun control platforms put forward by the parties.

Here’s a recap of Day 24 of the federal election campaign.

5:11 p.m. EDT: Conservative slams ‘sham’ nomination process in riding

Outgoing Conservative MP Ed Fast has endorsed an Independent candidate as his successor, calling his party’s nomination process in the riding a “sham.”

Speaking on CTV’s Power Play on Tuesday, Fast alleged the nomination process in Abbotsford-South was “hijacked by party officials,” who disqualified high-profile former MLA Mike de Jong, forcing him to run as an Independent.

Fast cited unnamed party officials as the source of his claim.

He’s backing de Jong over the riding’s Conservative candidate, 25-year-old Sukhman Gill, a local businessman and blueberry farmer.

Full story here.

4:57 p.m. EDT: French-language debate moved

CTV News has learned tomorrow’s French-language leaders’ debate has been moved, to avoid overlapping with a critical Montreal Canadiens game.

The Leaders’ Debates Commission confirmed the event will begin at 6 p.m. EDT, two hours earlier than previously scheduled.

Full story here.

Andrew Weichel, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

3:10 p.m. EDT: NDP, Bloc want French debate rescheduled

The NDP and Bloc Québécois are calling offside on the timing of the French language leaders’ debate, pointing out that its current timeslot slides right into a critical Habs game.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is set to square off against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, and Green Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault in the televised debate on Wednesday, April 16. The date was announced by the independent Leaders’ Debates Commission back on March 24.

But just a day before the debate, the NDP and Bloc are calling on the commission to reconsider the timing, given that it falls on the final game of the regular season for the Montreal Canadiens and their third and final chance to clinch a playoff spot.

Full story here.

Joshua Freeman, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

1:51 p.m. EDT: Trump still believes ’51st state’ rhetoric, White House says

While U.S. President Donald Trump has noticeably refrained from calling Canada the “51st State” in recent weeks, he has not changed his views, according to the White House.

At a news conference Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected a suggestion from a Canadian reporter that Trump’s tone towards his northern neighbours has softened since the 2025 federal election campaign began.

“Perhaps he just hasn’t been asked about Canada,” Leavitt said. “The president still maintains his position on Canada: The United States has been subsidizing Canada’s national defence, and he believes that Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st state.”

The White House did not provide any further clarity on comments Trump made on Monday hinting he could offer temporary tariff relief for the auto industry.

“He has flexibility when it comes to negotiations and talks, but ultimately his goal in his fair trade deals that he is pursuing with many countries around the world is to put the American worker first,” Leavitt said.

Trump previously said the purpose of the pause would be to give companies time to relocate their operations from Canada and Mexico to the U.S.

Andrew Weichel, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

12:25 p.m. EDT: Honda report underscores importance of leadership: Carney

Responding to a report that Honda is considering moving some of its production out of Canada, Mark Carney said the country is in the midst of a trade war and that its choice of leader is vital.

Both the federal and Ontario governments have said the report is not accurate, however Carney was asked about it while speaking with reporters at a campaign stop in in St. Eustache, Que.

“It’s a war, and we can’t provide guarantees for every situation. And that just underscores how important it is, the negotiation with the U.S. president, and who is going to be across the table for that, for a global approach, who knows how to get the deal that will build out our auto industry and other industries in Canada,” Carney said.

Carney said his discussions with the industry lead him to believe that auto manufacturers would like to stay in Canada.

“Their point is clear. They want to maintain their activities in Canada, and we’re working with them so that it maximizes the chances that they will do so,” he said.

The federal government also on Tuesday announced supports for the auto sector.

However Carney said that ultimately, the way out of the situation for the auto industry will be through negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump and that countries in North America need to work together in order to compete with China.

Joshua Freeman, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

On the Trail: Lone Quebec NDP MP sheds light on Singh’s French debate strategy

Quebec MP Alexandre Boulerice says NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will be focused on showing Canadians they’ll be getting more of the same with either Mark Carney or Pierre Poilievre.

Boulerice says Singh’s job debate night is to show those two leaders are similar - so similar, he says, that former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper once courted Carney to be his finance minister.

Boulerice holds the party’s only seat in Quebec, and polling does not suggest the NDP are likely to pick up seats in the province. Boulerice, who served as the NDP’s deputy chief in the House of Commons as well as its Quebec lieutenant, says he’s hoping for more Quebec caucus friends, and believes there is still a chance to convince more people to vote orange.

“There’s still a lot of time. Debates are an important moment in our democracy,” Boulerice told reporters after Singh held a press conference in Montreal.

The official French leaders’ debate takes place Wednesday night, with the English debate following Thursday.

Abigail Bimman, CTV News national correspondent

10:15 a.m. EDT: Poilievre pressed on tariffs, senior expresses frustration

This morning in Montreal, after announcing policies to protect seniors from scammers, Pierre Poilievre faced four selected reporters’ questions.

First, he was asked about auto tariffs. After speaking about how Trump “deserves nothing but condemnation,” when Poilievre was pressed about his stance on Canada’s retaliatory measures, he stated that no he doesn’t think Canada should drop its counter tariffs.

Then, Poilievre was asked what he means concretely when he says he’ll end “woke culture” in Canada’s public service and military.

In response, the Conservative leader said in part that “after a lost Liberal decade of dividing Canadians, turning people against each other and weakening our forces, we need to put Canada first.”

The third question was if he has evidence that locking up repeat violent offenders actually reduces crime, and the fourth was about whether he still intends to defund the CBC.

To both, he said yes.

Afterwards, one of the seniors sitting on stage during the announcement expressed what appeared to be frustration with Poilievre as he went over to speak with the leader. The man subsequently got off stage and left the room out a side door.

Then, when approached by journalists about what he was saying, the man spoke about the questions being asked about tariffs, the need for reporters to be ethical, the need to help save the country and put Canada first, and to ask more questions, to which it was noted the number of questions permitted to be asked is decided by the party. At this point, a campaign staffer escorted the man towards the exit.

Rachel Aiello, CTV News national correspondent

9:55 a.m. EDT: Carney promises benefit to upgrade worker skills

Liberal Leader Mark Carney says he would provide a new upskilling and training benefit for workers in the middle of their careers who need to access new skills training.

The benefit would provide up to $15,000 for workers in priority sectors, including manufacturing, health care, construction, A.I. and technology. Carney made the announcement at a campaign stop in St. Eustache, Que.

“To build the fastest growing economy in the G7, we need to have a skilled workforce. That means training and education for all, and for all time,” Carney said in a news release. He said that in “in the face of the economic uncertainty and volatility many Canadian businesses are facing” because of tariffs, the Liberals would collaborate with employers to support retention and upskilling within their companies.

Full story here.

Joshua Freeman, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

9:50 a.m. EDT: Singh on capital gains taxes

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is taking shots at the Liberals and Conservatives over their plans to scrap the capital gains tax increase introduced in the last federal budget.

In Montreal this morning, Singh said this decision means the federal government loses $19 billion it could use to pay for things like hiring more doctors and expanding pharmacare.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney has said he will do away with the planned increase to taxes paid on capital gains over $250,000 to encourage more business investment to counter the effect of U.S. tariffs.

Full story here.

The Canadian Press

9:30 a.m. EDT: Poilievre targets scammers

At a campaign stop in Montreal this morning, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced his plan to crack down on financial scammers who target senior citizens, called the Stop Scamming Seniors Act.

“A new Conservative government will ensure that Canadian banks and cell phone companies do a better job detecting scams, alerting victims before they are scammed, and reporting and blocking suspected fraud in real-time,” the party said in a news release.

“We will also increase fines and prison sentences for the callous criminals who defraud vulnerable Canadians.”

The Conservative plan includes requiring mandatory scam detection systems for banks and telecommunications companies, especially for high-risk accounts such as those belonging to seniors over 65; real-time flagging and blocking of suspicious activity such as large wire transfers; imposing a mandatory minimum one-year jail sentence for fraud over $5,000, three years for fraud over $100,000 and five years for fraud over $1 million; and minimum fines of 10 times the amount defrauded.

“Imagine spending your life working hard, saving, carefully, preparing for your retirement, only to see it all disappear seconds after a scammer comes in and takes over, one call, one click and it’s gone,” said Poilievre. “Unfortunately, this is the experience of thousands of Canadians who have fallen victim to increasingly sophisticated frauds in recent years.”

Full story here.

Phil Hahn, CTVNews.ca election editor-in-chief

Conservative support hits milestone, but party still trailing

The Liberals have a five-point lead over the Conservatives on Day 24 of the 36-day federal election campaign.

A three-day rolling sample by Nanos Research ending April 14 has the Liberals at 44 per cent over the Conservatives who are at 39 per cent nationally.

“Conservative support hits a 14 year election day high – but it is not enough," said Nik Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos Research and the official pollster for CTV News and the Globe and Mail.

“The interesting dynamic is that for the Conservatives, 39 per cent is not enough to win the election. One should not be surprised that the Conservatives feel buoyant and in a winning mood. The last time support for the Conservatives was at this level was in May 2011 when Stephen Harper formed a majority government.”

Regionally, Liberal support remains strongest in Ontario, Atlantic Canada and Quebec and in B.C.; while Conservative support is the strongest in the Prairies.

When it comes to whom Canadians prefer as prime minister, Carney has a comfortable lead with a 16-point advantage, with 49 per cent choosing him over Poilievre, who sits at 33 per cent.

Read the full story here.

Phil Hahn, CTVNews.ca election editor-in-chief

U.S. deportations bring refugee policy into focus

Refugee policy dominated the news ahead of Canada’s 2015 election, but this year has been a different story.

A recent increase in asylum-seekers in Quebec could change that.

Read the full story here.