This week, Canadians will hear directly from federal leaders in two nationally broadcast debates:
- Wednesday April 16: The French-language debate takes place at 8 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Mountain / 5 p.m. Pacific)
- Thursday, April 17: The English-language debate takes place at 7 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Mountain / 4 p.m. Pacific)
The French debate will cover six themes: cost of living, energy and climate, trade war, identity and sovereignty, immigration, and foreign affairs. The English debate will focus on affordability, energy and climate, leadership in crisis, public safety, and economic threats like tariffs.
You can watch the debates on CBC, CTV, Global, Citytv, CPAC, and Radio-Canada, or stream them online via YouTube.
Leaders from the five main federal parties will participate: Mark Carney (Liberal), Pierre Poilievre (Conservative), Jagmeet Singh (NDP), Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc Québécois), and Jonathan Pedneault (Green).
Election day is April 28, and advance polls will be open over the Easter weekend, from April 18-21.
What to look for in the debate
Canada Powered by Women facilitates bold conversations, and these two debates are definitely going to be bold.
We’re also hearing from sources that some of the parties may release their fully costed platforms before debate night, meaning each promise would come with a breakdown of what it costs and how they plan to pay for it. That would add another layer to the conversation, and we’ll take a closer look in next week’s Perspectives to help make sense of what this all means, along with a summary of the debates.
One of the defining issues shaping party platforms is energy — not just as climate policy, but as a foundation for economic growth, investment and national independence.
This isn’t just a debate about pipelines or permits, either. It’s a debate about how prosperity will be built. Who benefits, how fast things can move, and whether Canada’s energy potential is being realized or restrained are all considerations on the table.
The differences in how the federal parties approach energy policy are becoming one of the biggest issues in this election, and we know from our national survey that 84% of engaged women support growing Canada’s energy sector.
On debate night, we can expect significant focus on two federal laws that have become wedge issues in the election:
- Bill C-69, passed in 2019, created new rules for reviewing large energy and infrastructure projects in Canada. It expanded environmental review requirements, required early Indigenous consultation, and gave federal regulators more oversight – a regulation many feel resulted in long delays and the cancellations of many projects.
- Bill C-48 prohibits large oil tankers from loading or unloading oil along most of B.C.’s northern coast — a measure many view as blocking energy exports.
The Conservatives have pledged to repeal both bills. Their five-point plan includes faster project approvals, a replacement framework for C-69, scrapping the industrial carbon tax and emissions cap, and introducing Indigenous loan guarantees. The party also promises to implement a “one-and-done” approval system to eliminate overlapping federal and provincial reviews, and to fast-track 10 specific resource projects across the country if elected.
The Liberals say they will not repeal C-69, citing the need for consistency in project reviews. They propose streamlining it through a “one project, one approval” model to reduce duplication. Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected calls from energy company CEOs to adopt their five recommended measures, which included scrapping C-69. The Liberal Party’s recent announcement calls out energy as a mechanism to grow the economy, but it offers little detail. Their platform focuses on electrification, energy infrastructure, and the critical minerals needed for low-emissions technologies but does not specify how conventional oil and gas fits into Canada’s economic future (read more).
The NDP also wants to keep C-69. Their platform includes a carbon border adjustment which is a fee on imported goods from countries with weaker climate policies. More here.
Canada Powered by Women’s research shows engaged women want policies guided by clear, timely decision-making which attracts investment, which is why these policy announcements are worth watching and we’ll see how they show up on debate nights.
Canada Powered by Women bulletins are short, fact-based updates on key policy announcements related to issues that matter to engaged women.