Party leaders reach out to seniors, autoworkers as campaigns focus on Ontario, Quebec

OTTAWA — Federal party leaders aimed their pitches at seniors, low-income voters and autoworkers Wednesday as their campaigns focused on the key battlegrounds of Ontario and Quebec.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre kicked off the day with a pledge to allow working seniors to earn up to $34,000 tax-free, an increase of $10,000 from the current level.

He also promised to raise the age for using RRSPs by two years — so seniors can keep growing their savings until age 73 — and to keep the retirement age at 65 for old age security, the guaranteed income supplement and the Canada Pension Plan.

“Imagine you’ve been working for 40 years and you’ve done all the things right, but you still want to contribute. You’ve got a lot of wisdom, smarts and energy,” he said at an event near Quebec City, where he criticized the existing taxes paid by working seniors.

“You are punished for saving responsibly, punished for working hard,” he said.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is pledging a $2-billion “strategic response fund” to protect manufacturing jobs and announced in Windsor, Ont., a plan to build more auto parts in Canada.

He’s also proposing that Ottawa prioritize Canadian-built products when purchasing government vehicles in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

“We will build a stronger and more resilient auto industry. We will build and create more higher-paying union jobs,” the Liberal leader said in front of the Ambassador Bridge linking Windsor and Detroit.

“President Trump’s trade war has put the kinship that exists between our great nations under greater strain than at any point in our storied histories.”

In Hamilton, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh rolled out his tax plan, which would raise the tax exemption for the lowest incomes by a fifth.

At a seniors recreation centre, Singh said that under his plan, anyone making less than $177,882 would not pay taxes on the first $19,500 they earn, saving them about $505 annually.

“We want to help those that are impacted by the tariffs that actually need the support. Not the billionaires,” said Singh, who ended the day with a campaign event in London, Ont.

Poilievre made his way to Quebec City on Wednesday, where he held a rally and unveiled a two-page Quebec platform, promising “responsible federalism” that treats the provinces as partners rather than subordinates of the federal government.

All campaigns turned their attention to tariffs on Wednesday afternoon after Trump signed an executive order to impose duties on all automobile imports to the United States next week.

Speaking to reporters, Carney said he was suspending his campaign plans for Thursday and returning to Ottawa to hold a meeting of the Canada-U.S. cabinet committee to respond to the latest tariff move by the White House.

Later, Carney held a rally in Kitchener, Ont., which was interrupted several times by hecklers. After one heckler yelled at Carney during his speech, the crowd chanted “Out!” Carney said “Mon Dieu” before continuing his speech.

Speaking to the crowd, Carney said this election was “the most consequential” in our lifetime.”

“We need a majority,” Carney said. “We need a majority because we need big changes.”

Carney addressed Trump’s tariffs and threats to Canada’s sovereignty at the rally.

“We have to look out for ourselves,” Carney said. “We need a united front of workers, of labour, of business, of governments to help us navigate these stormy seas.”

Following news of Trump’s order, Poilievre called the tariffs “unjustified and unprovoked,” saying they’ll damage both Canadian and American workers.

Singh said Wednesday evening that the tariffs are why Carney should have recalled Parliament ahead of the campaign to legislate emergency relief for potentially laid-off workers in the auto sector.

A new Leger poll, released this week, suggests that 44 per cent of decided voters say they will vote Liberal in the upcoming election, ahead of the Conservatives at 38 per cent. The poll had the NDP at just six per cent.

Carney’s Liberals are now at 41 per cent support in Quebec, ahead of the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, which are both at 23 per cent.

Carney also faced questions Wednesday about a Radio-Canada story that said he co-chaired two investment funds registered in Bermuda — a known tax haven — while he worked at Brookfield Asset Management. The two funds were dedicated to the transition to a net-zero carbon economy, Radio-Canada said, and were worth a total of $25 billion.

The Liberal leader said the funds are structured to benefit the Canadian pension funds that invest in them and that the beneficiaries pay Canadian taxes when they go through local entities.

But Singh said these funds exist for “the sole reason of avoiding paying taxes” and suggested Carney will allow rich Canadians to skirt paying their fair share — an argument echoed by Poilievre.

“He thinks millionaires like him shouldn’t have to pay, even while single moms, seniors and small businesses are forced to fork over ever more money to this out-of-control, greedy Liberal government,” the Conservative leader said of Carney.

— With files from Kyle Duggan in Windsor, Ont., David Baxter in Hamilton, Ashley Joannou in Vancouver, Morgan Lowrie in Montmagny, Que., and Catherine Morrison in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press