Promise tracker: What the parties are pitching in the federal election campaign

OTTAWA — The party leaders are out on the campaign trail making promises to Canadian voters, who will go to the polls on April 28.

Here is a running list of the promises announced by the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP ahead of the election.

Conservatives

March 28: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is reiterating an earlier announcement that his government would pass a law to impose mandatory life sentences for people found guilty of trafficking fentanyl on a large scale. He also says people who are convicted of five or more counts of human trafficking and exporting 10 or more illegal firearms would get the same life sentences to “ensure these monsters rot in jail forever.”

March 27: Poilievre says a Tory government will allow Canadians to contribute another $5,000 — for a total of $12,000 a year — in a tax-free savings account, provided they invest that extra money in Canadian companies.

March 26: Poilievre says a Conservative government will keep the retirement age at 65. He says they will also allow working seniors to earn up to $34,000 tax-free, and allow seniors to keep their savings in an RRSP until age 73, up from 71.

March 25: Poilievre promises a government led by him would maintain existing federal dental-care, pharmacare and child-care programs.

March 25: Poilievre pledges to eliminate the GST on purchases of new homes for up to $1.3 million if he wins the federal election. The announcement expands on a plan the Conservatives proposed in October to eliminate the GST on new homes sold for under $1 million. The Tories also say they would help make it more attractive for municipalities to free up land, speed up permits and cut development charges to build more homes.

March 24: Poilievre promises a 2.25 percentage point income-tax cut that he says would save a dual-income family $1,800 per year. Poilievre says he would drop the lowest income tax bracket from 15 to 12.75 per cent and fund the cut by trimming federal government bureaucracy.

March 21: Poilievre announces a plan to boost training and employment for workers in the skilled trades. Speaking at a news conference in Ottawa, Poilievre says his plan for “more boots, less suits” will expand training halls and provide direct grants and faster access to employment insurance for apprentices in licensed trades.

March 20: Poilievre says he wants to create what he calls “shovel-ready zones” with pre-approved permits for major resource or energy projects. He says the goal is to get permits in place early for a mine, liquefied natural gas plant, pipeline or other major project.

March 19: Poilievre says he’ll “set a deadline” to approve all federal permits for mining in northwestern Ontario’s Ring of Fire region within six months. He says that a Conservative government would also commit $1 billion over three years to build a road network to link the mining sites to Ontario’s highway network and First Nations communities in the area.

March 17: Poilievre says a Conservative government would repeal the entire carbon pricing law for consumers and big industry. To reduce emissions, Poilievre says his government would “expand eligibility” for the clean technology and clean manufacturing tax credits. He adds his government would “reward” businesses that make products with emissions lower than the world average.

Liberals

March 26: Liberal Leader Mark Carney announces a plan to protect the Canadian auto industry and fight back against tariffs after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose 25 per cent tariffs on vehicles made outside America. Carney pledges a $2-billion strategic response fund to help the auto sector, a Canadian auto manufacturing network and “leverage government funding” to prioritize Canadian-built vehicles.

March 25: Carney promises to modernize the recruitment process for the Canadian Armed Forces and address a shortage of CAF members. He says he will do that by increasing salaries an unspecified amount, building more on-base housing and improving health and child-care services. Carney also says he will accelerate defence spending to get to the two per cent NATO target “by or before” 2030.

March 23: Carney starts his campaign with a promise of a one-point cut to the middle class tax rate. He says that would benefit a dual income family by up to $825 a year. The Liberals say more than 22 million Canadians would benefit from the tax cut and middle- and low-income Canadians would stand to benefit the most.

March 21: Carney makes several announcements after meeting with Canada’s premiers. They include waiving the one-week waiting period for employment insurance for those who lose their jobs to U.S. tariffs and temporarily allowing Canadian businesses to defer income tax and GST and HST payments to help boost their liquidity.

March 21: Carney confirms a plan to hike the inclusion rate on capital gains, first pitched in the federal budget last year, will not move forward. The proposal was set to take effect on June 25 of last year and would have seen all businesses and individuals reporting more than $250,000 in capital gains in a year pay more tax on those proceeds.

March 20: In Edmonton, Carney announces a $187-million investment to repair and rebuild critical infrastructure in Jasper National Park.

March 20: Carney announces that his government will eliminate GST for first-time homebuyers on homes sold at or under $1 million.

March 18: Carney says his government will expand the Canadian Armed Forces’ presence in the Arctic and turn to Australia’s over-the-horizon radar tech to monitor threats from adversaries like China and Russia. Carney also pledges $253 million in new funding for Indigenous reconciliation initiatives in the North.

NDP

March 28: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the New Democrats will ban corporations from buying affordable rental buildings and stop corporate landlords “who gouge their tenants” from getting things like low-interest federal loans, preferential tax treatment and mortgage loan insurance. He also says the NDP will boost the rental protection fund to help non-profits buy affordable apartments.

March 27: Singh announced a plan to protect jobs in the Canadian auto sector that includes a pledge to boost employment insurance, give all money collected from counter-tariffs to workers and communities hit the hardest, and mandate that federal departments and agencies buy vehicles that were made in Canada. He also says an NDP government would “use every legal tool available” to stop companies that have received public money from taking auto plants, machinery and tools out of the country.

March 26: Singh says his party will cut taxes by increasing the basic personal amount of income exempted from taxes to $19,500, and will cut the GST from things like diapers, grocery store meals, and bills for cellphones, internet and heating. He also pledges to raise the guaranteed income supplement for seniors.

March 24: Singh says a government led by him would use federal Crown land to build more than 100,000 rent-controlled homes over the next 10 years. He is also promising $1 billion over five years to acquire more public land for rent-controlled home construction. The housing pledge also includes a promise to train 100,000 more people in skilled trades.

March 20: In Hamilton, Singh promises to improve employment insurance, create jobs by investing in infrastructure and using Canadian resources, and expand trade beyond the United States.

March 16: Singh says an NDP government would cancel Canada’s F-35 contracts and build jets in Canada instead. He also commits to bolstering Canada’s Arctic with new defence spending, building marine search and research stations, increasing pay for soldiers and building northern community infrastructure.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press