TORONTO — With three weeks to go until the April 28 federal election, leaders continue to tour the country, making promises galore. 

Today, Liberal Leader Mark Carney flew to British Columbia on the party plane. Speaking in Victoria (where two former Justin Trudeau loyalists, Catherine McKenna and Scott Brison, were also on hand to support him), he announced a long list of initiatives his government would undertake, including (to summarize): creating 10 new national parks; making national parks and historic sites free to visit this summer; strengthening protections for Native Americans. “Creating new parks and making them more accessible will ensure that every Canadian can experience the beauty of our great nation, just as I have” Carney said, explaining that Jasper National Park was his second home when he lived in Edmonton, Alberta.

He also announced the promotion of “voluntary carbon markets” that would not require companies to meet a specific target, but would reward those most virtuous in “voluntary” reductions in pollution.

On Trump’s tariffs, Carney said a Liberal government would take steps to protect Canada, citing his experience as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and governor of the Bank of England during Brexit. Among the measures on the agenda are those dedicated to seniors, which would guarantee up to $652 more to low-income seniors, yearly and tax-free. “American tariffs have destroyed the global economy and Canadians are rightly worried about their retirement savings, their jobs and their businesses: we will protect them…”.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was also in British Columbia, before traveling to Edmonton in Alberta, where today he outlined his “One-and-Done” idea to speed up approvals for major resource projects. Essentially, a Conservative government would quickly review and approve 10 resource projects, including the second phase of a natural gas liquefaction project in northern British Columbia and several new mining developments.

Poilievre would establish a Rapid Resource Project Office to streamline regulatory approvals at all levels of government. This would allow projects to wait a maximum of one year for approvals. “My ‘One-and-Done’ rule will quickly and safely free up Canada’s natural resources by quickly approving the projects Canadians need most now: mines, roads, hydroelectric projects and nuclear power plants, so we can stand on our own two feet and stand up to the Americans” Poilievre said.

It was a day in Toronto, today, for NDP leader Jagmeet Singh: after meeting in Scarborough with workers from Hudson’s Bay – that is in the process of being liquidated – Singh made the promise of the day: three million affordable homes by 2030. “An NDP government” he said “would accelerate the pace of new home construction, committing to delivering three million units by 2030…”. His $16 billion national housing strategy would replace the Liberals’ Housing Accelerator Fund and give municipalities and provinces the tools to build homes faster, protect affordable rents and lower housing costs for families.

“People want a home they can afford, in a community they love, but that’s out of reach for too many, not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because the governments, Liberal (which he supported, ed.) and Conservative, have made choices that put profits before people” Singh said, adding that “over 100,000 skilled workers will be trained so the NDP can realize its plan…”.

Meanwhile, the deadline to submit nominations expired today at 2 p.m. If you’re in, you’re in: now the final rush begins.

In the pic above, Liberal Leader Mark Carney arrives in British Columbia on the party plane (photo: Twitter X – @MarkJCarney)