Liberals ahead by 8 points on Day 27 of the federal election campaign

The Liberals have an eight-point lead over the Conservatives as the 36-day election campaign enters its final stretch.

A three-day rolling sample by Nanos Research, ending April 17, shows the Liberals at 45 per cent support nationally, while the Conservatives trail at 37 per cent.

The New Democratic Party sits at 8 per cent, followed by the Bloc Québécois at 6 per cent, the Green Party at 3 per cent, and the People’s Party of Canada at 1 per cent.

Carney leads as preferred choice for prime minister

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is the preferred choice for prime minister, with 48 per cent of respondents selecting him, compared to 34 per cent for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was a distant third, at 5 per cent.

Leaders clash over Trump and tariffs in final debate

On April 17, the party leaders faced off in the campaign’s only English-language debate, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs emerging as a key point of contention.

While all leaders agreed on the need to maintain counter-tariffs and project strength in the face of U.S. economic measures, Carney and Poilievre presented differing approaches.

“The president is looking to fundamentally restructure the trading system,” Carney said. “So the starting point has to be one of strength. It has to show that we have control of our economic destiny.”

Throughout the debate, Carney made repeated efforts to refocus the discussion on Canada-U.S. relations.

Poilievre said that while he supports maintaining Canada’s retaliatory measures against what he called Trump’s “economic aggression,” his strategy would also include tax cuts, deregulation, and approving major resource projects.

“That way, we stand up to President Trump from a position of strength,” Poilievre said.

The April 17 debate was the final one scheduled before Canadians head to the polls on April 28.