After Justin Trudeau’s resignation and a swift leadership race easily won by Mark Carney, Canadians went to the polls last April amid a growing tariff war threatening thousands of Canadian jobs. While polls had predicted a Conservative victory, the Liberals ultimately won 169 seats –just three short of a majority.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, defeated in his Ontario riding of Carleton, quickly rebounded thanks to the orchestrated resignation of an Alberta MP and a by-election in August, which allowed him to regain a seat and fully reclaim his role as leader of the opposition.
Meanwhile, the New Democratic Party is struggling to recover from their worst election result, winning only seven seats and losing official party status. The leadership convention is set for March 27-29, 2026, in Winnipeg. As of this writing, five candidates are officially in the race: Heather McPherson, the MP for Edmonton Strathcona; Avi Lewis, filmmaker and longtime activist; Rob Ashton, Canadian president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU); Tanille Johnston, an Indigenous activist and social worker; and Tony McQuail, farmer and longtime advocate for sustainable agriculture and rural development.
This new political landscape has proven favourable for Prime Minister Carney, who has taken advantage of a weakened opposition to pass Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, swiftly. The legislation aims to reduce internal trade barriers and accelerate the approval of major infrastructure projects. The Liberals have also multiplied announcements in response to the trade war, promising to strengthen domestic production in strategic sectors. The Liberals have been criticized for the legislation as it opens the possibility of ignoring both labour and Indigenous rights.
For the Steelworkers, the coming months will be a test of whether those promises translate into tangible results. The federal government must ensure its industrial and trade policies put workers first – by protecting jobs, supporting local production and guaranteeing that every public dollar invested creates good union jobs here at home and sustains our communities.
This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of USW@Work magazine.
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