At a rally for Ottawa Centre Liberal incumbent Yasir Naqvi, Chrétien said he expects to “celebrate a Liberal Party majority government” after polling closes Monday night. Recent polls show the Liberals, led by Mark Carney, holding onto the overall lead, though it is still a close race with the Conservatives under Pierre Polvor. The Conservatives have leaned on former prime minister Stephen Harper to run Polvor’s campaign, including a television ad that has been in heavy circulation during the NHL playoffs. Chrétien, now 91, led three majority Liberal governments between 1993 and 2003. Chrétien pointed to Canada’s united and patriotic turn since U.S. President Donald Trump began imposing tariffs and talking about annexing the country to make it the 51st state. “We have never been so united,” Chrétien said. “We should thank Mr. Trump.”
He said he proposed placing Trump’s name in the Order of Canada to unite the country, which drew a wave of laughter. He triggered a new wave when he then joked that Trump probably wouldn’t get it because he has a criminal record. Carney has campaigned heavily on how he would respond to Trump and extricate Canada from its dependent relationship with the United States, and fear of Trump has helped the Liberals recover from the polling darkness ahead of the U.S. president’s inauguration on Jan. 20. It was Carney’s main theme again during a tour of battleground ridings in the Greater Toronto Area and Windsor, Ont., on Saturday. “President Trump is trying to break us up so that America can own us and, well, that’s never going to happen,” Carney said, repeating one of his frequent statements to a large group of supporters at Seneca Polytechnic’s King City campus. “If Canada unites, we will win this trade war, and we will build the strongest economy in the G7,” Carney said when asked if that was an overly ambitious reading of what economists predict Canada will be in the coming years. Asked what he expects to happen to the economy, Carney responded that winning the trade war would mean becoming an energy superpower with more trade with other countries and affordable housing.
Carney also rejected Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet’s declaration on Friday that Canada is “an artificial country that means very little.” “I reject them completely. It’s an incredible country,” Carney said. “I want to be part of the process that is underway, of the country coming together, of unity. And I want to support that, not division.” Poilievre responded to the comments on social media, calling them “insulting and false.” “Canada is a strong, proud and sovereign country with a rich history,” he wrote on X. “As prime minister, I will (always) defend Canada and make it stronger than ever.” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who some think is clinching an eventual leadership position for the federal Tories, also called Blanchett’s comments “insulting” and suggested that Blanchett leave public office if she does not take pride and honor in the role.
There are multiple seats in the Vancouver area on Monday. B.C. has often been a three-way race between the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP, but the NDP has fallen far behind in this race and is now expected to be a red-blue race in most seats. Conservative supporters at the rally said they were optimistic about Pollard winning Monday’s election. “I’m expecting it to be a better situation than what the polls are suggesting right now,” said Bob Phippen, a resident of Mission, B.C., who attended the rally. “This is a historic movement, and this is an opportunity to change the direction of the country.” Nicole Belch, a resident of Maple Ridge, B.C., brought her two daughters to the rally and said she has spoken to people in her community who “would have voted differently” in the past who have expressed support for the Conservatives in this election. “I believe we are moving towards change,” she said, adding that it was very important to have her daughters at the event. “It’s not just about supporting Pierre. “It’s also about bringing awareness to this generation and what’s going to happen in the future … to help them understand at a young age, 10 and 15 years old, what the future could be like.” Poilievre flew to Sudbury, Ont. for the evening event. The northern Ontario city, known mostly for its nickel mining industry, has just one seat. It seems unlikely that the Conservatives will win, although the Liberals’ margin of victory was smaller in 2021 than in 2019.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, whose campaign has struggled from the start, is campaigning in southwestern Ontario, where his party is trying to hold on to at least the two seats it won in 2021. He faces a tough challenge from the Liberals in both Windsor West and London. Singh hosted a breakfast for campaign workers at a stop in London and then attended a Windsor, Ont., Labour rally. He told campaigners in London on Saturday morning to remind voters that “their vote is what actually built this country by electing the New Democrats, who built all the things that make Canada, Canada.” In Windsor, he joined auto workers represented by Unifor who are protesting for protections in a sector threatened by U.S. tariffs. Singh said Canada has invested more than $30 billion in auto manufacturing in the past five years, and said Canada cannot allow auto companies to move parts and facilities south of the border. He also said Ottawa should use all means possible to stop firms that have blocked public funding from moving equipment or facilities to the United States.