CIVICUS discusses Canada’s 28 April election with Beatrice Wayne, Director of Research and Policy at the Samara Centre for Democracy, a non-partisan civil society organisation (CSO) dedicated to strengthening Canadian democracy.
In March, shortly after succeeding Justin Trudeau as Liberal Party leader and prime minister, Mark Carney called a snap election, seeing an unexpected opportunity as Donald Trump’s renewed attacks on Canada galvanised public opinion. The campaign has developed into a much more competitive race than expected, and what once seemed a certain win for the opposition Conservative Party is now far from guaranteed. As well as Canadian sovereignty, economic recovery and energy policy have been key campaign issues.