Canadians are heading to the polls on April 28 after Prime Minister Mark Carney asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament.
Carney’s Liberals are seeking re-election, while Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives are looking to take power. The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Green Party are also competing to shape the political landscape.
Ahead of the federal election, Carleton University students are voicing their ballot priorities about everything from ongoing U.S. tariff threats to the affordability of basic essentials.
“It’s hard to talk about this federal election without thinking about what’s going on down south and the threat that U.S. President Donald Trump is posing to our country,” said Gabriel Trozzi Stamou, a third-year public affairs and policy management student.
Trozzi Stamou is a member of the Carleton University New Democrats and is volunteering for Joel Harden’s campaign in Ottawa Centre.
“Housing is definitely top of mind for me and the people I talk to because it has gotten so expensive,” Stamou said.
Fourth-year political science student Emma Cantlon said the cost of living is a major concern for her heading into this federal election.
“One of the biggest issues for me is affordability,” Cantlon said. “Rent and groceries continue to get really expensive.”
Cantlon is the president of the Carleton Greens campus club and said she hopes whatever party forms government considers environmental impacts when taking on major infrastructure and housing projects.
“We need to make sure things are done through a sustainable lens to fight climate change,” Cantlon said. “This means creating less waste and being energy efficient when building new projects going forward.”
Trump’s imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian steel and aluminum has added economic uncertainty to this election.
Canada has responded with retaliatory tariffs, but another round of U.S. tariff threats is expected on April 2. The economic impact of these trade tensions is a growing concern for many Canadian voters.
Ian Lee, a professor in Carleton’s Sprott School of Business, said that although this election is critically important for the nation’s future, he feels politicians are not taking it as seriously as they should.
“It’s been a very unserious election so far,” Lee said. “We are talking about the trivial instead of the serious and important.”
Lee said he would like to see action from the federal government to create a meaningful strategy for a strong Canadian economy that is less reliant on the United States.
“We need to focus on issues that are hurting our economy and making us less and less productive,” Lee said.
All Canadian citizens 18 years old or older are eligible to vote in this election. Voters must be able to prove their identity and address at the polling stations in order to cast a ballot.
Canadians will head to the polls on April 28, with advance voting available from April 18 to April 21.
More details on voting can be found on the Elections Canada website.
Featured graphic by Alisha Velji.
