It’s official: a federal election has been called for April 28, 2025.
Given the current tariff war and threats of annexation from the United States, it will be easy for candidates to invoke Canada’s national identity and the need to stand together in the upcoming federal election.
But what does this really mean? And how can voters ensure candidates will address other pressing domestic issues like the housing and cost-of-living crisis, a broken shelter system, and increasing repression of protests?
“The reality is that no matter who wins the federal election … [these issues] will need prolonged engagement and advocacy efforts,” Scott Cooper, a communications and public engagement specialist with Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ), says.
An ecumenical non-profit that promotes justice through public policy, CPJ has put together a 2025 Election Bulletin to provide voters information about three broad policy areas: refugee and migrant rights, climate justice, and poverty elimination. It also suggests questions to ask candidates and MPs. CPJ is also holding local events during its 2025 election tour through April.
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Other faith-based resources coming soon include Kairos Canada’s voter toolkit, the Canadian Council of Churches’ 2025 Election Guide and the United Church’s advice on how to engage directly with candidates.
What are some of the tips these organizations offer?
Don’t scapegoat immigrants
Determine whether candidates acknowledge discrimination against migrants, says CPJ’s Cooper. “We suggest that people consider whether the solutions leaders are proposing recognize the dignity and the right to an adequate standard of living of people.”
One example includes asking about measures that address systemic barriers refugee claimants face in securing accessible and stable housing.
Cheryl McNamara, with Kairos, also suggests asking about a regularization program for undocumented migrants, which the outgoing Liberal government promised to implement in its 2022 mandate letter.
Also be on the lookout for candidates “scapegoating” immigrants for issues like the housing crisis, adds Emily Dwyer, with the United Church. “In reality, the causes of the housing crisis have come from lack of investment from all levels of government, lack of policy and privatization of the sector,” she says.
Climate justice from the bottom up
Relating to climate justice, Cooper suggests asking how candidates will uphold the principle that polluters should pay now that the carbon tax is being scrapped. But be aware of red flags like candidates deflecting “responsibility to different levels of government,” he warns.
Any answer “worth its salt,” he says, will: A) acknowledge that we pay enormous subsidies to the fossil fuel industry; B) admit that climate justice boosts our economy; and C) plan to not leave workers behind as we transition to a cleaner economy.
McNamara says candidates should also prioritize local conversations with workers and communities directly affected by the transition away from fossil fuels. And don’t get taken by arguments that Canada needs more pipelines, she adds, because the transition away from fossil fuels “is happening whether we want it or not.”
Instead, she suggests asking, “How do we build the infrastructure to help with this new energy transition that is underway? How can Indigenous Peoples, communities, experts, be at the forefront?”
Indigenous rights
In that same vein, McNamara says, the transition will involve mining for critical minerals. Voters should therefore ask how candidates will ensure that free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous people will be “fully observed” when entering their communities.
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She suggests asking which local nations were consulted, their level of involvement, about allocation of funds and about the direct impact on the communities.
Peter Noteboom, with the Canadian Council of Churches, recommends asking about the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation recommendations, about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls commission, and the adoption of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Cooper says a positive sign is a proposed approach that is “intersectional” and takes into account various determinants of health such as housing and poverty and the ongoing effects of colonialism.
Time to reflect
Noteboom suggests asking candidates how they plan to bridge divides across the country. “Will individualism win out, or will community solidarity win out?” he says.
Cooper says that ultimately, this election is an opportunity to prioritize public justice and craft a vision for the future.
“It’s not just about getting things just barely back up to snuff,” he says. “With the right policies in place, and with access to an adequate standard of living for everybody, the land and the world will flourish — Creation will flourish.”
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Fernando Arce is a Toronto-based freelance journalist focusing on social issues, local politics and Indigenous resistance to colonization. He is a co-founder and senior editor of The Grind, a free print news and arts publication. He’s also an amateur photographer, an okay drummer, and a lifelong animal lover.
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