You can bet politicians and party strategists know what they want the 2025 Canadian election to be about.
But what about Canadian voters?
You’re heading to work, maybe raising kids and paying the bills. If you could set the agenda, what would you ask the candidates to talk about as they try to win your vote?
This year, CBC journalists are hitting the road with a special election project we’re calling What Matters.
We’re in communities across the country asking a simple question: What matters to you?
We hope to hear more about the personal challenges, fears and hopes that are shaping your vote. We’re also inviting anyone to participate through a simple email.
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What issue matters the most to you this federal election, and why? Share your personal stories with us at [email protected].
Drop us a line and listen for these stories on our radio shows and podcasts, on TV, our streaming channels and, of course, online. We’re also on YouTube and TikTok. —
Check out a few of the stories we’ve heard so far below, and check back for more throughout the campaign.
In the Canadian Arctic, housing and defence investments shape voter views
Canadians will be going to the polls on April 28. TJ Dhir hit the streets of Iqaluit to find out what issues are top of mind for Nunavummiut.
Both the Liberals and Conservatives made significant announcements on defence, radar and other military investments this campaign. For some Nunavummiut, that makes them feel more secure. But others want long-standing infrastructure needs such as housing to get more attention.
“Inuit in Nunavut don’t have decent housing,” Pangnirtung resident Jeanine Nakashuk said in Inuktitut. “This should be dealt with.” Read the full story.
Access to reproductive health is the issue shaping this vote in south Calgary
Some issues come up again and again as Canadian voters pick their candidates. Taxes, cost of living and Canada’s relationship with the United States are good examples.
But every voter is different. For first-time voter Moana Rae Michelbrink Rhynold, it’s access to reproductive health that is shaping her vote.
“The biggest thing is how the Conservative campaign has leaned a lot toward what’s been happening in the States in terms of women’s access to health care. That’s the biggest thing that’s scaring me,” she said at Calgary’s Seton public library the day before Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was asked about that during a campaign stop. Read the full story.
Are major parties ignoring climate change? These voters in Woolwich, Ont., flag their concern
CBC K-W’s Craig Norris was at the St Jacobs Farmers’ Market to ask people what their top issues are in this federal election. Some of the people he spoke to said they want candidates to have a stronger focus on climate change.
“I think both political parties need to focus on the greenbelt,” said Andrew Gaied, a young voter at the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market in Woolwich, Ont. The greenbelt is a swath of land in Ontario that was set aside and protected from housing and other development.
“I just feel like we don’t focus enough on the environment.”
This is the second time this campaign that journalists from the Kitchener-Waterloo newsroom spent time talking with voters at this particular farmers’ market. The first time they were there, tariffs was top of mind. This time, several people honed in on the environment. They found it’s a key issue for some voters this election. Read the full story.
Affordable housing, getting a stronger voice in Ottawa is top of mind for some voters in White Rock, B.C.
Early Edition host Stephen Quinn set out a card table and a couple of folding chairs in front of an all-candidates meeting at the St. John’s Presbyterian Church in White Rock to hear what matters most to South Surrey-White Rock voters. Here’s how that went.
Outside an all candidates forum in South Surrey-White Rock, Early Edition host Stephen Quinn set out a card table and chairs to hear from voters.
Affordable seniors housing was top of mind for Louise Taylor, who works with Brella Community Services Society.
“We’re full,” she said. “At least once a week, I cry in the office because I hear a story that just breaks my heart. And it’s right here in White Rock, here in South Surrey. It just shouldn’t be happening. We need more action from our government.”
Protecting the oilpatch, protecting the environment … voters speak up in Fort Saskatchewan
CBC News met up with some voters in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., just northeast of Edmonton, to find out what matters to them when they cast their ballots.
When CBC Edmonton spent time talking with voters about their priorities in nearby Fort Saskatchewan, they found a wide range of views. Voters flagged accountability, affordability and protecting what it means to be Canadian.
Bryan Mitrovic wants support for the oil and gas sector.
“I’m a drill baby drill kinda guy. Anything to do with oil out here is good for me,” he said.
Evan Lockhart said his key concern is environmental protection.
“I’d like to see any plans that are currently going to degrade our ancient growth forests … be kiboshed,” he said.
Housing, addictions among the issues Nunavimmiut care most about this election
Carbon taxes, military bases and fighting U.S. tariffs are some of the big-ticket announcements heard so far in the federal election campaign. But in Nunavik, residents just want the basics. Samuel Wat reports.
Some of the high profile promises heard so far in the federal election campaign have been around carbon taxes, military bases and fighting U.S. tariffs. But in Nunavut, when reporter Samuel Wat spent time listening to what matters, residents told him they care most about the basics — food security, mental health and additions treatment. Read the full story.
Who should lead in a time of uncertainty? Voters in N.L. ponder that question
It’s a big province, with a lot of political opinions. So we sent reporters to four different communities to ask voters how they see the federal election: what’s at stake, what are the big issues, and if their minds are already made up.
“This time, I’m voting so one particular party does not get in,” said Joy Blundon in St. John’s, but voters in Newfoundland and Labrador were split on which party should win.
Many are trying to decide who is the best leader for Canada in this moment. Said Yeukai Katanda in Corner Brook: “I just feel like we’re being bullied and for me it’s just a principle of no, let’s stand up to a bully.”
At a downtown speakers’ corner in Whitehorse, voters say they want stability through the challenge of tariffs
With the federal election just weeks away, CBC Yukon set up a “speaker’s corner” in downtown Whitehorse to find out what issues matter most to Yukoners.
In Whitehorse, CBC journalists set up mics at all four corners of one of the city’s busiest intersections during a lunch break to chat with residents. Tariffs were top of mind, along with how to deal with the uncertainty they bring to the economy. But people also talked about the cost of housing and the struggle with drug addition.
Small business owners in Kamloops flag drug addiction as key concern
We are going to different ridings to see what matters to the voters there. CBC’s Shelley Joyce visited the area to find out what issues are on residents’ minds.
Deanna DeCicco is hoping for a change in leadership this election. She runs a barber shop in Kamloops, B.C.
“We deal with a lot of crime, a lot of homelessness, a lot of mental health. We, daily, have people screaming, open drug use. One guy kicked in my sandwich board,” she said. “We’ve already had a government and so far everything has crumbled. … I’d lean toward Conservative because they are promising to help with these issues.”
In Manitoba, two young, Christian conservatives wrestle with division
The Weekend Morning Show (Manitoba)23:04Conservative voters weigh in on elections and Trump
27-year-old John Wiebe is an American-Canadian citizen living in Plum Coulee, Manitoba, who voted for Donald Trump in the last US election. 23-year-old Mike Klassen was born and raised in Winkler, Manitoba.
John Wiebe, 27, is an American-Canadian citizen living in Plum Coulee, Man., who voted for Donald Trump in the last U.S. election. Mike Klassen, 23, was born and raised in Winkler, Man. Both joined the CBC’s Nadia Kidwai to share their perspectives on The Weekend Morning Show.
Klassen said he needed to pull back a bit from political conversations when he saw their divisive impact on his own life. “When you start to see other people as the values that you don’t like, it almost opens up this door for you to view that person as less,” he said. “That’s so easy. … I was losing my centredness as a human being.” Take a listen.
Housing, affordability and sovereignty are top of mind for these Yukon voters
With less than a month remaining until Canada’s next federal election we talked with people in Dawson City about what matters to them this election. Take a listen.
Jenna Roebuck from Dawson City said she’s feeling a “lot of anxiety about the future.”
“I’ll be really wanting to see someone who can speak strongly against … populism and some of the really troubling things that I think are happening in our world,” she said. Read more from Yukon voters.
Have voters given up? Residents in the GTA talk about why they often don’t vote
Despite being a key battleground during most elections, the GTA’s voter turnout track record is even worse than other places across Ontario. CBC’s Chris Glover spoke to residents to find out why.
“They call it fixed. We’re wasting our time then,” said Claudio Coppola, who lives in the Toronto riding of King-Vaughan, where only 49 per cent of eligible voters made it to the polls last time.
Coppola said he’s only voted once before, but this time he’s worried about the cost of living and wants to see a change in government. This time will be different, he said.
“I think a lot of people are going to vote this time. It’s going to go higher. I guarantee you.”
Residents in Langley, B.C., say growth pressures shaping their view
Langley voters preparing to cast a ballot in this month’s federal election may be voting in a different riding than they’re used to, with new electoral boundaries dividing the region into three districts. CBC’s Jon Hernandez visited the area to find out what issues are on residents’ minds.
When the CBC’s Jon Hernandez spent time talking with voters in Langley, B.C., he found growth pressures, housing and the challenge of accessing a busy health-care system were top of mind.
Heather Jenkins runs the 1 Fish 2 Fish seafood shop. “There’s more apartment buildings opening up, more townhouses. It’s going to be a bursting city in no time.… Hopefully, we keep up with the services that we need.” Read the full story.
U.S. tariffs — a worry, a distraction or a positive? Voters in Alberta weigh in
Sal Shivji was a manager in the telecommunications industry when outsourcing made his job redundant. It was 2023, and the company was moving its dispatching to the Philippines. That’s why he sees the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump a little differently.
“I think it’s a positive thing, to be honest,” said the father of two, who was waiting for his children at Genesis Place in Airdrie, Alta., when CBC News stopped by. Read the full story.
What do parents in N.L. want this campaign to focus on?
How will parents be casting their ballot this federal election? With candidates making promises to voter groups across the country, CBC Radio’s The Signal brought four parents into the studio to ask about the issues that will decide their vote.
CBC’s The Signal asked parents in Newfoundland and Labrador for their take on what’s at state this campaign.
Luke Quinton said this is an important election to be thinking about the future: “Are our kids going to be better off than we are, than we were? I’m not so sure that’s entirely clear. There’s the cost of living crisis, housing crisis. I see tuition rates rising. I see a pulling back from good paying jobs with pensions.”
Infrastructure is a priority for many in N.W.T. ahead of the federal election
Merven Gruben, the former mayor of Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., and operator of E. Gruben’s Transport, says he cares about infrastructure, particularly housing and military upgrades. He says people in his community are living in 50- to 60-year-old houses that are condemned.
“It’s just terrible,” Gruben said. “A lot of people are sick and all because these houses are so old and nothing is being done for new ones. It’s a terrible situation.” Read the full story here.
Young Indigenous voters don’t want candidates to forget environment, reconciliation in election
“Sometimes these hot-button issues can take up too much of the conversation,” said Aamjiwnaang First Nation member Christopher Pitre.
He’s one of the young voters who spoke to a CBC London reporter at Fanshawe College. He said sovereignty, the environment and Indigenous relations are among top-of-mind issues this election. He doesn’t want a focus on tariffs and Canada’s relationship with the U.S. to overshadow other priorities. Read the full story here.
Meet us on TikTok! Young voters speak up in London, Ont.
“A lot of younger people probably assume the elections are for older people because they know about politics, but if [candidates] meet us on TikTok, it’s like it’s for us, too,” said 18-year-old Karli Squires, a first-time voter who spoke with a CBC reporter at Fanshawe College.
Many young voters here were focused on housing affordability and the cost of living. Read the full story.
What matters to Gen Z voters in Edmonton?
With Canada’s 45th federal election coming up, Gen Z voters are determined to make an impact, with many of them casting ballots for the first time. Their participation will play a role in determining the outcome of the election. As Elections Canada aims to engage this younger demographic, we asked young voters about the issues driving them to the polls.
CBC Edmonton visited a post-secondary campus to understand what some students want the candidates to be focused on. For Andre Ionitescu, it’s housing.
“As all politicians have said, the housing market is in a crisis and it’s increasingly difficult to buy a house,” he said. “So, I prefer not to rent for the rest of my life so I hope politicians would address the housing crisis.” Read the full story here.
What matters to Ottawa voters in the battleground ridings of 2 party leaders?
CBC Ottawa’s Hallie Cotnam spent time at the boundary between two ridings — the more rural riding of Carleton, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is running, and the more urban riding where Liberal Leader Mark Carney is trying to get elected.
Many voters were focused on who can best stand up for Canada in the context of tariffs. Others want candidates to talk about how to prioritize housing and the cost of groceries. Read the full story here.
In Canada’s most Conservative-voting province, Liberals’ rising fortunes stir anger. Here’s what matters to these farmers
As punishing Chinese and American tariffs threaten Canada’s exports, Saskatchewan farmers expressed anger and frustration over what they called U.S. President Donald Trump’s “stupidity.” But for all the vitriol they have toward the U.S. leader, they also showed disdain for former prime minister Justin Trudeau and his successor, Mark Carney.
“Everything is for the east,” said Carl Jensen, who farms in Invermay, Sask., about 250 kilometres east of Saskatoon, during Canada’s Farm Show last week. Read the full story here.
Voters on Vancouver Island hone in on the Canada-U.S. troubles
With a federal election just over a month away, voters in southeast Vancouver Island are eager to have their voices heard.
Claire Palmer spoke with voters in Nanaimo on Monday about what key issues they care about ahead of the April 28 election.
The CBC’s Claire Palmer asked voters in Nanaimo, B.C., about what key issues they care about ahead of the April 28 election. Tariffs were top of mind, with some calling for reciprocal tariffs to hit Republican states.
What issues matter to Quebecers in this federal election?
How to respond to threats from the U.S. seems to be the main ballot question, but there are other issues that are on Quebecers’ minds during this federal election.
Is identity still top of mind for Quebecers in this federal election campaign? When CBC News hit the streets in Montreal, our reporter heard more about Canadian sovereignty, the need to expand trading partnerships, grow the economy and improve affordability.
What matters to residents in the Maritimes?
Maritime Noon52:39Today on the phone-in: We hear from listeners about the issues they’re most concerned about in this federal election. Our guests are political scientist Jamie Gillies from UNB and Aengus Bridgman from McGill University.
Maritime Noon with Bob Murphy took this question to the airwaves. Health care was top of mind for his first caller.
“If it’s not being talked about for the election, it’s definitely front and centre on everyone’s mind,” said Steve White, whose family struggles to get access to health care from walk-in clinics.
Health care is constitutionally a provincial responsibility, but White said perhaps the federal government could require doctors to stay and practice in the country if they’ve been trained here, or find other ways to increase the supply.
What do voters in B.C. care about in this federal election? For these 3 in Surrey, it’s tariffs and the cost of living
Tariff threats. A housing crisis. The ever-increasing cost of living. The Current‘s Matt Galloway met with three voters in Surrey, B.C., to understand what matters to them this campaign.
Surrey is a border town with a booming population and lots of businesses facing hardships from the American tariffs. Read the full story here.
Survival in the face of tariffs top of mind for these Waterloo region voters
For Karen Bramble of Waterloo, Ont., the trade war between the United States and Canada is personal. The interior stylist is feeling a direct impact on her business because she sources eucalyptus from California and may have to raise prices of each floral arrangement by about $3 on average.
“This is my bread and butter so I need to do what I need to do to survive,” she said.
She’s hoping this will be an important issue for candidates this federal election. Read the full story here.
These Alberta farmers want cost of living, cutting taxes and tariffs to be the focus this election. Here’s why
Sam Van Uden, 21, and runs the seeder on a prairie farm in southern Alberta. It’s good hours, but the paycheque doesn’t stretch the way it did for young adults who used to start this way.
That’s what he wants this federal election campaign to focus on, and he’s not alone. Read the full story here.
Politics and pond hockey in Grimshaw, Alta.
Last weekend, hockey players gathered in a northwest Alberta community for the annual Alberta Pond Hockey Championships. In between games spectators and players took some shots at the yet-to-be-called federal election, sharing their thoughts on issues that matter to them.
In the Peace Country in northern Alberta, voters took a moment away from a massive pond hockey tournament to talk about their priorities for the upcoming federal election campaign.
They said the parties need to focus on support for agriculture and small business, the national debt, equal rights for Indigenous people and the cost of living.
“Our money doesn’t go as far as it used to, that’s for sure,” said oil and gas worker Brad Payne.
What issue matters the most to you this federal election, and why? Share your personal stories with us at [email protected].
