Day twenty-seven, and in spite of it being a statutory holiday, all of the leaders were out campaigning while the advance polls opened (and there was no irony lost in the fact certain Conservatives were howling about how insulting it was to Christians that the polls were opened on Easter weekend, while their leader was out campaigning). There were also reports of long line-ups at the advance polls, so that could be a sign that this is an election with higher turnout because of the level of early engagement.

Mark Carney was in Niagara Falls, and had a media availability before heading to Colborne and Brantford, Ontario, apparently not announcing anything other than saying he can stand up to Trump (but also made statements about being clear-eyed about China and pointing out that they are helping Russia), or releasing the platform as we are waiting for. Carney will unveil that platform today in Whitby, Ontario, before heading to Newcastle and Peterborough.

Pierre Poilievre stayed in Montreal and appeared at a plastics recycling facility, and he promised to repeal the single-use plastics ban with a bunch of completely false claims about just what was banned, and how it was increasing food costs so that he could claim that this was aa “food packaging tax,” which obviously it is not, but he needs to keep desperately cranking on that wedge. Poilievre will be in Richmond, BC, today.

Jagmeet Singh starts the day in Yamachiche, Quebec, where he unveiled the party’s Quebec-only platform, which mostly consisted of patting himself on the back for things from the last parliament, promising intrusions in provincial jurisdiction while simultaneously promising asymmetrical, cooperative federalism (really?!), and promising greater protectionism. (French-only release, because they did not put one up in English on their site). He then ended the day in Burnaby, BC. Singh will be in Burnaby today, and is apparently also releasing his “platform” (such as it is).

In other campaign news, Carney is defending the existence of the Leaders’ Debates Commission, while Blanchet thinks it should be abolished (and for everyone who says Blanchet and Singh have no place there, people are electing a parliament and not a prime minister, because we’re not America). Here are five things the different leaders are consistently getting wrong as they campaign. The Star has clipped nine moments from the English debates.

Ukraine Dispatch

Russia missiles struck Kharkiv, killing one and wounding at least 112 others when they struck homes. As well, a drone attack on Sumy hit a bakery preparing Easter cakes, because Russia is such a great “Christian” nation (if you believe the far-right who have swallowed that propaganda).

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1913161923475992770

Good reads:

• Here is a look at a few of the Indigenous candidates in the election.
• The Star got access to a Conservative internal document outlining their strategy to control committees and turn them into clip-generation studios.
• Justin Ling delves into the accusations that Mark Carney is conflicted in all of his positions because of past board directorships, and why most of it is ludicrous.
• Susan Delacourt and Matt Gurney debate their impressions of the leaders’ debates and what they felt about the outcomes.
• Paul Wells give his take on the debates, and considers the English debate the best he’s seen since the 1990s.

Odds and ends:

No lies detected in this recap by @thebeaverton.com.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-04-18T19:56:20.490Z

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