Canada is all set to head to the polls on Monday, April 28. With the key contest between Liberal leader and current Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, Ottawa is set for a tight contest in Monday's polls.
Around 28 million registered voters are set to cast their vote across 343 constituencies across the North American country.
Canada is all set to head to the polls on Monday, April 28. With the key contest between Liberal leader and current Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, Ottawa is set for a tight contest in Monday's polls.
Around 28 million registered voters are set to cast their vote across 343 constituencies across the North American country.
A total of 28 million registered voters are set to cast their ballots across the country. Ahead of the general polls, Elections Canada carried out four days of early voting. As per official government data, around 7.3 million ballots were cast during Easter weekend, setting a new record for Canadian elections.
In the Canadian parliament, a total of 343 constituencies are up for grabs. These constituencies are known as "ridings". For a party to declare majority and win the elections, they must secure 172 ridings.
Anything less than 172 paves the way for a coalition government.
In the 2021 federal elections, the Justin Trudeau-led Liberal party formed an alliance with Jagmeet Singh-led New Democratic Party and formed the government.
The current liberal party holds 152 seats. With the alliance with NDP, the ruling government had an additional 24 seats. However, Jagmeet Singh ended the supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals in September 2024.
The Conservatives, on the other hand, have a total of 120 seats, followed by the bloc Quebecois with 33 seats. The remaining seats were divided between two Green Party members, three independents and four vacant seats.
Canada is spread out into six time zones. Across these zones, the polls are set to open from 7 AM onwards and close around 10 PM. The timings for voting in each time zone are given below -
Newfoundland Time - 8:30 am to 8:30 pm local time (7am-7 pm ET - 11 am-11 pm GMT - 4:30 pm-4:30 am IST)
Atlantic Time - 8:30 am to 8:30 pm local time (same as ET - 12:30 pm-12:30 am GMT - 6 pm-6 am IST)
Eastern Time - 9:30 am to 9:30 pm local time (same as ET - 1:30 pm-1:30 am GMT - 7 pm-7 am IST)
Central Time - 8:30 am to 8:30 pm local time (9:30 am-9:30 pm ET - 1:30 pm-1:30 am GMT - 7 pm-7 am IST)
Mountain Time - 7:30 am to 7:30 pm local time (9:30 am-9:30 pm ET - 1:30 pm-1:30 am GMT - 7 pm-7 am IST)
Pacific Time - 7 am to 7 pm local time (10 am-10 pm ET - 2 pm-2 am GMT - 7:30 pm-7:30 am IST)
The two major contenders for the post of Prime Minister of Canada are - Mark Carney and Pierre Poillievre.
Carney, leader of the Liberal Party and incumbent PM, Carney, is the former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. With the PM seat still new for Carney, the Liberal party is running on his economic expertise.
He has vowed to tackle Canada라이브 바카라 housing crisis and economic instability through government intervention. Furthermore, Carney has also given a strong response to the United States and Trump's ongoing tariff threats and hikes.
From the Conservative Party, populist figure Pierre Poilievre is the main contender. Poilievre has focused on tackling crime, public safety concerns, and deregulation.
Other contenders in the run are Jagmeet Singh with the New Democratic Party, Yves-François Blanchet of the Bloc Québécois. The Green Party has also contested several candidates across districts.
However, the main battle is expected to be fought between Carney and Poilievre.
Canada was initially set to vote in October 2025. However, due to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation in January, the liberal leader called for a snap poll.
This resignation came in light of growing dissatisfaction with the Trudeau administration and infighting. The downgrading of ties with India due to the Khalistan movement and Donald Trump's growing tariff threats made Trudeau more vulnerable to criticism from the public and his own party members.
Following Trudeau's resignation, Mark Carney was named as the interim prime minister. Nine days as PM, Carney called for a snap vote.