The dust is settling on the 2025 federal election. This one has proved historic in many ways, from the quick turnaround in party fortunes to seeing international assistance prominently included in campaigns.
If you, like us, want the lowdown on election results, understand the global context for the road ahead, and how you can participate in our democracy by letting our Prime Minister know that you care about the world, keep reading!
election 2025: what happened?
While recounts in close races have moved the numbers slightly, the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) led by Prime Minister Mark Carney has formed a minority government with 169 seats and 41.8 per cent of the popular vote, just a few seats shy of a majority.
This result is a remarkable comeback for the Liberal Party. Only a few months ago, they were trailing the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) by over 20 per cent, with pundits providing dire warnings for the future viability of the LPC. Fast forward to April 28: the Liberals have won a fourth consecutive election, something only achieved twice before in Canadian history, while receiving the largest vote share in the last 40 years.
This election was also the most polarized in recent Canadian history. While the Liberals and Conservatives each received over 40 per cent of the vote – records in recent history – the New Democratic Party (NDP) stumbled to their worst ever loss, receiving only 7 seats and 6.3 per cent of the vote.
As parties dueled over which party would best protect Canada against threats from Donald Trump and respond to pocketbook, cost-of-living issues affecting Canadians across the country, voters coalesced around the LPC and CPC, leaving the NDP out in the cold. When Parliament returns at the end of May, the NDP will no longer have official party status, and so will not participate in committees and will lack the staff and resources which support larger parties.
international assistance and the election
Usually, international assistance doesn’t take centre stage in a federal election. But on this, too, the 2025 federal election stood out.
Even before the outset of the campaign, CPC leader Pierre Poilievre promised to cut international assistance that goes to “dictators, terrorists and useless global bureaucracies,” and included a $2.8 billion cut to international assistance.
Global challenges are rising. Climate change, conflict, and economic instability are threatening the lives of millions around the world and jeopardizing decades of progress toward ending extreme poverty worldwide.
Amid these rising challenges, former champions of global health and development are walking away. Many countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom and France have slashed their international assistance budgets. Devastatingly, the United States has dismantled USAID, once the largest international development agency in the world. The tale of the United States’ abdication of global leadership will be told in lives and futures lost.
This commitment is a good first step, but election promises are not always reflected in action. The time for Canadian leadership is now. This new government must be a bold leader to build a healthier, more prosperous, and better world. It’s up to us to hold our new government accountable.
