The 5 W’s of Canada’s upcoming snap election

Bella Coco,  News Editor | 

It’s official: Canada’s next federal election is taking place on April 28. 

The election Canadians expected to be in October is now right around the corner, and candidates are left with a 25-day race to sway voters with big promises. 

We’re going to tackle the five W’s—who, what, when, where, and why—of the election. 

What

Legally, the maximum time between federal elections is five years. The next vote was officially scheduled for Oct. 20, 2025, however, an early election has been called.

According to the BBC, two scenarios may spark an early election:

• When the Governor General accepts the prime minister’s (PM) advice to dissolve the government, or
• If the Governor General accepts the PM’s resignation after the government is defeated in a confidence vote in parliament.

Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney triggered the election by doing the first scenario and asking Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament on March 23. 

The dissolution of parliament brings a halt to all parliamentary business before the Senate, the House of Commons, and their adjacent committees and clears the way for a federal election. 

Why

With tensions rising between Canada and the U.S., numerous political leaders have been calling for an early election to navigate the trade war and Donald Trump’s threat to Canada’s sovereignty. 

With Justin Trudeau’s resignation earlier this year, Canadians are anxious for a leader to navigate the pressure provided by their neighbours down south. 

A study by Omnibus shows that 38 per cent of Canadians are distressed over the uncertainty of U.S. political tensions, and 52 per cent are worried about the rising cost of living. For the first time, avoiding a negative fallout with the U.S. is a top voter concern, surpassing even domestic issues. 

There is also speculation that an early election could put Carney at an advantage due to the Liberal’s rising recovery in the polls. 

Carney has stated that he will work with Trump to represent what is best for Canadians as prime minister, but since the call for an election, he has been more assertive. 

“We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty,” Carney said to reporters on Sunday. “Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada. President Trump claims that Canada isn’t a real country. He wants to break us so America can own us. We will not let that happen.”

When

Despite the election taking place on April 28, Canadians can cast their vote on multiple dates. 

Elections Canada outlines when you can vote:

• Vote on election day (Monday, April 28) at an assigned polling station.
• Vote on advance polling days (Friday, April 18; Saturday, April 19; Sunday, April 20; and Monday, April 21) at an assigned polling station.
• Vote early at any Elections Canada office across the country (until Tuesday, April 22, 6 p.m.).
• Vote by mail: Electors must plan and apply by Tuesday, April 22, at 6 p.m. and return their special ballot by mail (deadlines apply) or in person at their local Elections Canada office before polls close on election day.
  • Electors planning to return their special ballot by mail should plan and ensure there is enough time to receive a voting kit and return their completed ballot to Elections Canada by the deadline indicated in their kit.

Where 

Voters can head to the Elections Canada website to find their electoral district and search using their postal code, province, maps, municipality, or candidate name. Canadians can find their voting location by searching their city, postal code, or address. 

Who 

This W may arguably be the most important one of all. A federal election has a formidable cast involved, and it can be difficult to remember who’s who in an election. 

Let’s start with the simple stuff: Who can vote? 

You can vote in a Canadian election if you are a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years of age, and able to prove your identity and address. 

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dive into who eligible citizens can vote for. 

Similar to the U.K. elections, Canadians do not directly vote for the candidate they want to be prime minister. Instead, they vote for the members of Parliament (MPs), who represent the leaders of running political parties with a seat in the House of Commons. 

Ergo, the party leader with the majority amount of MPs will become prime minister. 

There are currently 343 seats in the House of Commons. Each province has its own number of seats, which are represented by population. 

At the time of the dissolution of Parliament, the Liberals led the majority with 152 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 120, the Bloc Québécois with 33, the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 24, and the Green Party with 2. 

Now that we’ve figured out who has all of these seats, let’s chat about the leaders of these political parties, also known as the candidates for prime minister of Canada. 

• Leader of the Liberals: Mark Carney.
• Leader of the Conservatives: Pierre Poilievre.
• Leader of the Bloc Québécois: Yves-François Blanchet.
• Leader of the NDP: Jagmeet Singh.
• Co-leaders of the Green Party: Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault.

Polls predict that the election will be a neck-and-neck race between Carney and Poilievre, both of whom have outwardly spoken about putting Canada first in its trade conflicts with the U.S.

Voters can head to Elections Canada’s website to find their MP and a list of all searchable MPs when making their decision on casting their ballot. 

As for Calgarians, there are 11 electoral districts within the city and a tentative list of candidates to vote for. Elections Canada has advised that “The complete list of confirmed candidates will be available on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.”

Those interested in learning more about the election process and important information can visit Elections Canada.