The Ben Mulroney Show - Listen Next: Global National with Dawna Friesen | Canada's 45th federal election kicks off

Episode Date: March 26, 2025

Canada’s 45th general election is officially underway. In five weeks voters will head to the polls to decide who will be the next prime minister. Liberal Leader Mark Carney is calling for a “strong, positive mandate” to take on U.S. President Donald Trump. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says a Tory government will be “respectful and firm” when standing up to Trump. The NDP, meanwhile, kicked off a campaign that is likely to be critical for Jagmeet Singh’s party and the Bloc Quebecois are also facing unexpected headwinds. Find and follow Global National with Dawna Friesen here: https://link.chtbl.com/gndf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Hi, I'm Neetu Garcha. Thanks for listening to the Global National Podcast for this Sunday, March 23rd, 2025. Canada is officially in a federal election campaign, and from tax cuts to removing internal trade barriers, we look at how the economic threats from the U.S. are shaping party priorities. And more on the leaders' first day pitches in an election like no other. Pope Francis is out of hospital and back in the public eye for the first time in five weeks. His message and recovery ahead.

Plus deadly Russian drone attacks hit Kyiv as Ukraine pushes for peace. How close is a ceasefire deal? And hearing from you, we hear what voters are saying across the country as parties hit the ground running in this early election. Global National, reporting tonight, Nitu Garcha. Good evening and thanks for joining us. We are off. Canada's 45th general election is officially underway and in five weeks voters will be heading to the polls to decide who will be the next prime minister.

Liberal leader Mark Carney laid out his vision for Canada after Governor General Mary Simon agreed to dissolve parliament, kicking off an early and short race. Voters are set to head to the polls on Monday, April 28th, six months ahead of the fixed election date. Party leaders are wasting no time, each pitching themselves as the best option to lead the country towards economic strength and unity. The American president is not on the ballot, but Donald Trump is top of mind for party leaders. I've just requested that the Governor-General dissolve parliament and call an election for April 28th. She has agreed. We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump's unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty. To bring you the very latest, our reporters are following Canada's political leaders and

their campaign launches across the country. Mark Carney will run in the Ottawa riding of Nepean. The Liberal leader is calling for a strong, positive mandate to take on Trump and to strengthen our economy by investing in and uniting Canada. Mackenzie Gray is traveling with the liberal campaign and begins our coverage tonight. For Mark Carney there is one central issue. We needed to act to fight the Americans. We needed to act to deal with Donald Trump's tariffs. And that's the ballot question the Liberals want the election to be about.

A message they think is a winner, with polling showing a plurality of Canadians believe Carney is best placed to negotiate with Trump, leading the Liberal leader to say he needs... A strong mandate to stand up to Donald Trump and the Americans and negotiate the best deal for Canadians. Donald Trump's trade war, Justin Trudeau's departure, and Carney's arrival have seen a 20-point Conservative lead vanish, with multiple polls showing the Liberals are now verging on majority territory.

Carney has attempted to neutralize Conservative attacks by slashing the consumer carbon tax, killing the capital gains increase, and now making his first major election promise. We will cut the lowest income tax bracket by one percentage point for a middle-class tax cut that will benefit a two-income family by up to $825 a year. Carney attempting to parlay his love of hockey into a political advantage. Mr. Prime Minister, Mike Myers. Wearing Team Canada jerseys alongside actor Mike Myers in a new ad.

There will always be a Canada. Alright, elbows up. Elbows up. Our Majority Government Prime Minister to come, Mark Carney. A theme that carried to Carney's first rally of the campaign in St. John's, Newfoundland. Miniature Canadian flags for all, taken a step further by others in a crowd of roughly 200 that enthusiastically cheered Carney's stump speech, which largely focused on Trump. We didn't ask for this fight.

But Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves. In this trade war, just like in hockey, we will win. Carney will continue in Newfoundland on Monday heading to Gander, a community that took in thousands of stranded Americans after 9-11, but it's also an area represented by the Conservatives, Nithu, a sign that Carney is going on the offense. Alright, thanks, Mackenzie. Carney's main political rival is running in the neighboring

Ottawa area riding of Carlton. Pierre Pauliev launched his campaign from Gatineau, Quebec today, arguing a decade of liberals in power has left the country weakened and vulnerable to an aggressive US president. The Tory leader says a conservative government would be respectful and firm when standing up to Trump while protecting and creating Canadian jobs. Our chief political correspondent David Akin is following that campaign. David?

Well, Neto, Pierre Poliev is 45 years old right now but he's already been an MP for 20 years since he was 25 years old. He is a career politician and now he wants the top spot in the House of Commons Prime Minister of Canada. With a new conservative government that will axe taxes, honor hard work, build homes, cut taxes, lock up criminals, secure our borders, unleash resources to bring home our jobs and stand up to Donald Trump. The pitch from Pierre Pauliev is made in punchy phrases, short soundbites, lines he's been using in his stump speeches

for nearly two years. And the Conservatives were on a trajectory to win a massive majority until Justin Trudeau quit and Donald Trump took office. That has turned Canada's politics upside down and has Conservatives now competing with Liberals about who would be toughest with Trump. I will insist the president recognize the independence and sovereignty of Canada. I will insist that he stop terrifying our nation and at the same time I will strengthen our country

so that we can be capable of standing our own two feet. Pauliev will spend the campaign arguing his chief rival, Liberal leader Mark Carney, is not the right choice to deal with Trump and instead will continue the policies of the Trudeau government. Policies Pauliev says has made the country weaker. Electing liberals to a fourth term will weaken our country still. That is why we need to put Canada first for a change. Now, if Poliev is going to fulfill that ambition, become Prime Minister, and bring about the change that he wants,

the Conservatives are going to have to win a whole lot of seats in southern Ontario. And that is where Poliev will spend the first hours of his campaign, the first days of his campaign, trying to win some seats in Toronto, Hamilton, Mississauga, Brampton. Those are all areas that the Conservatives failed to make breakthroughs in the last three elections. Neethu. Okay, thanks very much for that David. The NDP also kicked off what will likely be a critical campaign for Jagmeet Singh's party. While the Liberals have made a major comeback, support is collapsing for the new Democrats. Some opinion polls suggest the outlook is so bad they could lose official party status if fortunes don't improve before

voting day. Taria Isri is traveling with their campaign. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is used to being the underdog but this may be his toughest challenge yet. I know that folks like Pierre Poliev and Mark Carney would want nothing better than for the New Democrats to disappear. Singh kicked off his campaign in Ottawa, introducing the party's roster of candidates in the national capital region. Under Mark Carney, the Liberal Party has moved to the centre, leaving an opening on the left for the NDP. But it will be a tough hill to climb.

What I know about Jigmeet is that he is a fighter. He's never been given anything in his life. He's had to work hard for it. And that's the true thing about most Canadians, so they connect with that. The party's poll numbers have nearly collapsed, and Singh is ranked one of the least popular major leaders. But he insists he's the best choice for the working class. Donald Trump has come out and endorsed Mark Carney. Elon Musk has endorsed Pierre Pauliev. I'm the only federal candidate that is a hundred percent not endorsed by the Donald Trump administration. not endorsed by the Donald Trump administration. The NDP spearheaded the PharmaCare deal and the National Dental Care Plan,

which is expanding in May to more Canadians. The programs were passed as part of the NDP's Supply and Confidence Agreement with the Minority Liberal Government. But that deal, and Singh's reluctance to trigger an election once it ended, gave the Liberals breathing room. And in that extra time their fortunes have reversed particularly in Quebec Singh's next stop. The election is consequential not only for Canadians but for Singh himself. This is his third federal campaign and if the party does as badly as polls suggest there will be serious questions about whether he can stay on as leader. Neethu? Thanks Taria.

The Green Party launched its campaign in Montreal today with two leaders at the helm. Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneau, a former journalist and activist, are running the party as coal leaders. In their opening statements, they took aim at Mark Carney slamming his elimination of the consumer carbon tax during a climate crisis. But they also emphasize the need for national unity in the face of Donald Trump's threats. From Ukraine to Afghanistan, from Venezuela to Libya, I've seen what collapse looks like.

But I've also seen people rise, rise up to the challenge. Despite the fact that we're in an election, we have to remain Team Canada. We have to be strong together because there is a threat. Despite May's long-time experience as leader, the party earlier announced Pedneau will be the Greens face throughout the campaign, including in debates. The Bloc Québécois also launched its campaign in Montreal today as it faces unexpected headwinds heading into the election.

The party has long focused on Quebec's sovereignty, but that's now being overshadowed by Trump's threats to Canada's sovereignty. Mike Armstrong looks at the delicate balance the Bloc has to find on the campaign trail. For the Bloc Québécois and leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, just about everything likely hinges on one thing. What will people in this province be thinking about when they vote? Blanchet doesn't want them worrying about Donald Trump. I believe that in any instance under any circumstance one should never vote because of fear. Thank you very much.

The American president is already hurting the block at the polls. The party was flying high just a few months ago, so strong there was talk it could be heading back to Ottawa as the official opposition. It's now looking at losing some of the 33 seats it holds. There's a sense that we are part of Team Canada right now. We have to fight back against Trump. We have to protect Canada. Sovereignty hasn't been a big issue for a few elections. Instead, the Bloc Québécois' argument has been that they're needed to give Quebecers a strong voice in Ottawa. This time, the Bloc has to convince voters that applies, even against Trump.

I might not want to become Prime Minister of Canada, believe me, but I will be to be as strong a leader as I can. Now, most of the support the Bloc has lost has been picked up by Mark Carney. The new liberal leader will very likely be Blanchet's main target, former bloc leader Gilles Dussap. It's not that surprising that people want someone to confront Trump, but they have to know who really is Carney. And I think the campaign will be quite important.

The Pochette's campaign motto, introduced with this ad last week, is I choose Quebec. The question is whether Quebecers will choose a Quebec-centric party when facing an external threat. Mike Armstrong, Global News, Montreal. Mercedes Stevenson joins me now for more. And Mercedes, this is kicking off at a time of rising tensions with the U.S., which have taken center stage for party leaders and their pitch to Canadians. Nizu, this is an incredibly important and unique election in Canada.

It will be an intense gloves-off fight right to the finish line. And it truly could go either way. That's something that was unimaginable just a few weeks ago. The ballot box issue, as we've been hearing from our reporters tonight, is about who can best handle President Donald Trump, defending the Canadian economy against the punishing tariffs he wants to bring in and dealing with the requirement to rebuild our military and be able to handle a serious potential threat to our security and sovereignty. These are issues that have been unheard of in an election in our lifetimes. The closest we've come would be the foreign policy election of 1988, which had to do with

free trade and NAFTA. I think you're going to see affordability still play a significant role in this election though, both because of the tariffs and because of the toll that the increased cost of living has taken on so many Canadians. Campaigning on affordability is what put Pierre Poliev into a strong position going into this, allowing him to pull support from the Liberals and the NDP. But Mark Carney is learning the lesson that Justin Trudeau didn't. He's moving towards the centre and he's undercutting Conservative policies, adapting them as his own.

In a highly unusual and aggressive move, the Liberal leader announced a tax cut on day one of the campaign. But these are still two untested federal leaders when it comes to an election campaign. So there's a lot of unknowns about how strong their support will actually be. We'll find out. Mercedes, Alberta's premier is among other influential politicians who are coming into the conversation. Something Danielle Smith said about Canada's retaliatory tariffs has also come up. It's really interesting that this is playing such a big role on the first day of the election

because it's actually something that Danielle Smith said two weeks ago on March 8th. Premier Smith told Breitbart News that she was asking President Trump to basically lighten up on the tariffs and rhetoric so that Pierre Poliev would have a better chance of winning. That clearly hasn't had the effect she'd hoped because Donald Trump since then has said that he prefers a liberal and he hasn't backed off on Canada at all. I also suspect the conservative leader didn't appreciate that help as he's trying to distance himself from comparisons to Donald Trump. Nithu?

Indeed. Alright, Mercedes Stevenson in Ottawa. Thanks Mercedes. Prayers from Catholics around the world for the health of Pope Francis have been answered. The 88-year-old has been discharged from a hospital in Rome after more than five weeks of treatment for double pneumonia and acute respiratory failure. But as Vincent McEvaney reports, the Pope's road to recovery isn't over. After five weeks of vigils and prayers, this was the moment Catholics had hoped for.

Hope Francis emerging from the Gemelli Hospital in Rome to offer a blessing for the first time since his admission for pneumonia on Valentine's Day. The pontiff suffered two critical, life-threatening episodes during his stay. His doctors say he was never intubated and remained alert throughout. The toll of the ordeal on the 88-year-old was visible as he struggled to speak to the crowd.

Thank you all. And I see this lady with the yellow flowers. She is good. That lady is Carmela Mancuso, who's met the Pope several times, always giving him yellow flowers. She's travelled to the hospital every day to pray for him and was overcome at seeing his recovery. Happy, joyful, I don't know, my heart was bursting. I didn't think I would feel this way. The pontiff has now returned to the Vatican, but questions linger as to whether he might now resign. He has said that it should not become a fashion, is the word he used, for popes to resign.

That said, it depends on how he thinks that he will be able to run the church after this illness. Even if he stays on, after 12 years travelling the world to lead over a billion Catholics, France's papacy will now likely enter a more subdued phase. Vincent McEvaney, Global News, London. At least seven people have been killed in Ukraine in another round of Russian airstrikes. It happened just hours before the U.S. tries again to broker a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow. But getting a deal done could come down to who makes concessions first.

Candace Cole reports. Sunday, as Ukrainians slept in their beds, Russia launched a massive drone attack on the capital, Kiev, setting apartment buildings ablaze, taking the lives of three civilians, including a child and injuring many others. It was unexpected and horrible. I have a little child who just turned five months old today, so it was shocking and stressful for me. Ukraine's air force says out of 147 drones that were launched by Russia, their forces

intercepted 97, while Russia's defense ministry claims it shot down 59 Ukrainian drones overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is now calling for his allies to increase the pressure on Moscow. As Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. head to Saudi Arabia to engage in another round of peace talks. We are now going to talk about a Black Sea maritime ceasefire so that both sides can move grain, fuel and start conducting trade again. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone last week.

Putin agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities, but rejected a 30-day ceasefire. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff says he believes Putin wants peace. Our job is to narrow the issues, bring the parties together, and stop the killing. That's the game plan. Steve Whitkoff has been notably soft on the Russian president, saying he does not regard Putin as a bad guy. He's also dismissed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plan for an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine, calling it, quote, a posture and a pose.

Neetu? All right. Candace Cole in Washington. Thanks, Candace. Israel's war on Gaza has reached another grim milestone. The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Breaking a fragile ceasefire after just two months, Israel resumed its assault in Gaza last week with a wave of airstrikes killing hundreds of people. The Israeli military says an airstrike in the area of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza

late today killed a member of Hamas. Medics say it killed at least five people. Over the next five weeks, party leaders will be crisscrossing the country trying to connect with as many voters as possible. Their promises will be tailored to win votes. So what matters most to you? Our Global News team fanned out across the country to ask that question. Health care and affordability of everything.

If they can do something about the inflation, I guess life now is not so easy. If you went back three months, this was going to be a Justin Trudeau election, a carbon tax election. I think a lot of that's out the window at this point. The most pressing issue, obviously, is the Trump tariffs. Student loan debt forgiveness would be really nice. I don't know if that's even in the conversation right now. We have an unreliable neighbour there, so we need a change and a strong government in place. Indigenous issues are probably the most important in top of my mind. I'm a law student right now and studying Indigenous rights and treaty rights and things like that and I just know that the government has historically and continually underfunded the negotiation process of things like treaty negotiations. Canadian sovereignty and the threat of us losing Canada.

That is Global National for this Sunday. We'll have a new episode every day at 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you find your favourite podcasts. I'm Donna Friesen. For all of us at Global National, thanks for listening. Bye-bye. These 18 strangers have answered the call for the adventure of a lifetime. My parents would always say, you're going to be the first one set home.

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