2025 Federal Election Weekly Briefing: March 24 – 31

Party Policy Announcements  

Conservative Party of Canada  

Before the election began, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre made a series of announcements on how a Conservative government would manage critical construction and mining projects in Canada.  

Ring of Fire:  

Mr. Poilievre announced that a Conservative government would green-light all federal permits for the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario within six months to begin harvesting chromite, cobalt, nickel, copper, and platinum. He also committed to:  

  • $1 billion over three years to the construction of a new major road connecting First Nations communities and the Ring of Fire to the Ontario highway network.  
  • Allowing companies investing in the Ring of Fire to pay a share of their federal corporate taxes to local First Nations communities.  

Canada Shovel-Ready Zones  

Mr. Poilievre shared his intention to create “Canada Shovel-Ready Zones.” These zones would be pre-permitted for construction to reduce paperwork for companies building new mines, LNG terminals, and pipelines. The goal is to allow businesses to buy the land, move in equipment and supplies, hire workers, and begin building, knowing that they already have the permits complete.  

To do this, a Conservative government would:  

  1. Identify a location that makes sense for a power station, LNG plant or pipeline, or another major project. 
  2. Make sure it is safe for Canadians and the environment. 
  3. Work with other levels of government to lock down zoning and permits in advance of construction.
  4. Offer pre-permitting before an application: permits would be published online with a checklist that businesses would have to complete to protect nature and people.  

More Boots, Less Suits  

Mr. Poilievre announced his plan for “More Boots, Less Suits”, which aims to expand opportunities for apprenticeships and workers in skilled trades by:  

  • Reinstating apprenticeship grants of $4,000 for an apprentice.  
  • Training 350,000 workers by expanding the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) and creating a special class of rapid EI payments for apprentices leaving to do training.  
  • Harmonizing health and safety regulations across provinces.  
  • Passing the Fairness for Travelling Tradesworkers Act, allowing trades workers to write off the full cost of food, transportation, and accommodation for job-related trips longer than 120 km.  

Remove the Sales Tax on Homes  

Mr. Poilievre reiterated previous promises to remove the GST for first-time home buyers by increasing the exemption to include homes that cost up to $1.3 million.  

Canada First Reinvestment Tax Cut  

Mr. Poilievre announced that any person or business selling an asset will pay no capital gains tax if the proceeds are reinvested in Canada. This will only be available on reinvestments made until the end of 2026.  

National Energy Corridor  

Mr. Poilievre announced plans to create a ‘Canada First’ National Energy Corridor to fast-track approvals for transmission lines, railways, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure across Canada in a pre-approved transport corridor within Canada.  

This corridor would transport Canadian resources within Canada and internationally by bypassing the U.S. and is intended to attract new investment for the Canadian economy.  

Liberal Party of Canada  

Trade-Enabling Infrastructure  

Leader of the Liberal Party, Mark Carney, announced that a re-elected Liberal government would invest in trade-enabling infrastructure to diversify Canada’s trade away from the United States, create new jobs, and build “one Canadian economy”.  

Mr. Carney committed to:  

  • Invest $5 billion into a new Trade Diversification Corridor Fund.  
  • Build the infrastructure that will help diversify Canada’s trade partners, create new good jobs, and drive economic growth.  
  • Accelerate nation-building projects at Canada’s ports, railroads, inland terminals, airports, and highways.  
  • Allow Canadian ports to cooperate instead of compete to maximize efficiencies by leveraging comparative advantages.  

Removal of GST for First-Time Home Buyers  

Before officially kicking off the election, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that his government would remove the GST on all homes up to $1 million for first-time home buyers.  

Build Canada Homes  

Carney announced a plan for Canada to double the pace of construction to almost 500,000 new homes a year and create Build Canada Homes, to get the federal government back into building homes.  

Build Canada Homes will:  

  • Act as a developer to build affordable housing at scale, including on public lands. Catalyze the housing industry by providing over $25 billion in financing to innovative prefabricated home builders in Canada.  
  • Provide $10 billion in low-cost financing and capital to affordable home builders. 

The Liberal plan aims to improve the function of the housing market by:  

  • Catalyzing private capital.  
  • Cutting red tape.  
  • Lowering the cost of home building by:  
  • Cutting municipal development charges in half for multi-unit residential housing  
  • Reintroduce a tax incentive to spur tens of thousands of rental housing units across the country  
  • Facilitate the conversion of existing structures into affordable housing units. Build on the Housing Accelerator Fund, reduce housing bureaucracy, zoning restrictions, and other red tape.

New Democratic Party of Canada  

Use Public Lands for Affordable Housing  

The NDP announced a plan to expand housing by using public lands to build more affordable homes for Canadians and expand investment by the federal government to get shovels in the ground.  

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh promised to set aside 100% of suitable federal crown land to build over 100,000 rent-controlled homes by 2035. He also promised to redesign and double the Public Land Acquisition Fund, investing $1 billion over 5 years into acquiring more public land to build more rent-controlled homes.  

Community Housing Bank  

The NDP committed to publicly financing new construction by creating a new Community Housing Bank to partner with non-profit developers, co-ops, and Indigenous communities.  

Supporting First-Time Homebuyers  

The NDP announced a plan to support first-time homebuyers by helping Canadians access affordable homes by unlocking the financial power of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to offer low-interest, public-backed mortgages.  

Increase Training for Skilled Trades  

The NDP promised to train 100,000 more people, including newcomers, in skilled trades and improve working conditions across the country. The NDP would also use Project Labour Agreements, or Community Benefits Agreements, to support jobs and positive community impact.  

Home Retrofit Plan  

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also announced that an NDP government would invest in retrofitting 3.3 million homes with energy-saving upgrades, including free retrofits for 2.3 million low-income households to lower energy bills. Mr. Singh also promised that these retrofits would be completed using Canadian-made solutions and construction materials.