Canada election: A look at the 2019 federal party leaders
Posted October 9, 2019 1:46 pm.
Last Updated October 9, 2019 1:00 pm.
Ahead of the vote on October 21, get to know the major federal leaders and some of the top priorities of each party.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau
Justin Trudeau was Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister, elected during the 2015 federal election with a majority government. Trudeau entered politics in 2007 after winning the Liberal Party nomination in the riding of Papineau, Montreal. He was elected leader of the Liberal Party in April 2013.
Top priorities for the Liberal Party include investments in the middle class, acting to address climate change and tougher gun control regulations.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer
Andrew Scheer was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 2017. He first entered politics in 2004 when he was elected MP in the riding of Regina-Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan. Scheer was elected Speaker of the House of Commons after the 2011 election and moved to serve as Official Opposition House Leader in 2015.
Top priorities for the Conservative Party include implementing several tax cuts and tax credits, scrapping the carbon tax and offering tax credits to those who spend money on green home renovations.
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh
Jagmeet Singh became leader of the NDP in 2017. He began his political career as Ontario MPP in 2011 for Bramalea-Gore-Malton. Singh has been MP for the riding of Burnaby South since 2019.
Top priorities for the New Democratic Party include creating more affordable housing options, scrapping the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and creating a national pharmacare program.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May won the leadership race for the Green Part in 2006. May won the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands in British Columbia in 2011 against Conservative cabinet minister Gary Lunn. She was the first elected MP to represent the Green Party.
Top priorities for the Green Party include a 20-step action plan to address the climate emergency, creating a national pharmacare plan and eliminating tuition fees for college and university students.
People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier
Maxime Bernier has been the founder and leader of the People’s Party of Canada since its inception in 2018. He was elected MP for Beauce, Quebec in 2006 under the Conservative Party. With the Conservatives, Bernier served as Minister of Industry, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism. Bernier ran in the Conservative leadership race in 2017, coming in second to Andrew Scheer. He left the Conservative Party in 2018 to sit as an independent MP and announced he would be launching a new party.
Top priorities for the People’s Party of Canada include reducing overall levels of immigration, eliminating inter-provincial trade barriers and growing the oil and gas industry.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet
Yves-François Blanchet was named leader of the Bloc Québécois in January 2019. He began his political career in the 2008 provincial election when he was elected to represent the riding of Drummond in the National Assembly of Quebec. Blanchet was re-elected in 2012 in the district of Johnson, but was defeated in the 2014 Quebec election. In November 2018, Blanchet announced he would be running for the leadership of the Bloc Québécois. No other candidates entered the race by the time nominations closed, and Blanchet was officially acclaimed leader two days later.
Top priorities for the Bloc Québécois include sharing of the values of Quebec, secularism of the state and the restoration of the environment.
