Ottawa, April 15, 2025: Federal party leaders will square off this week in back-to-back French and English debates, marking a decisive moment in the 2025 election campaign as advanced polls open in just days.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP’s Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, and Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault are all set to participate after meeting the criteria laid out by the federal debates commission. To qualify, each had to meet at least two out of three conditions: holding a seat at the time of election call, polling at four percent nationally by March 31, or fielding candidates in 90 percent of ridings 28 days before voting day.
The French-language debate will air on April 16 at 8 p.m. Eastern, moderated by Radio-Canada’s Patrice Roy. It will focus on the cost of living, energy and climate, the U.S. trade war, identity and sovereignty, and immigration. The English debate, hosted by TVO’s Steve Paikin, will be held on April 17 at 7 p.m. Eastern and will cover affordability, crisis leadership, public safety, energy and climate, and tariffs.
Both debates will run for 120 uninterrupted minutes, streamed live on globalnews.ca and the Global News YouTube channel. The commission has designed the format to emphasize meaningful policy discussion and encourage leader interaction. Each debate will be hosted from the Maison de Radio-Canada atrium in Montreal.
For those unable to tune in live, Global News will provide in-depth recaps and analysis of the key moments and policy highlights.
