Campaign Day 19: Carney faces hecklers; Poilievre camp accused of ‘campaign malpractice’

Thursday was another busy day on the campaign trail, with fresh announcements from the Conservatives and Liberals.

Mark Carney began the day in Brampton, Ont., where he unveiled the Liberals’ plans to tackle crime, including legislation that would revoke gun licences for people convicted of violence offences.

He later faced hecklers during a stop in Hamilton, including one who had to be carried out by police.

Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre shared more of the Conservatives’ housing plan, including an incentive for municipalities to cut building taxes.

His campaign also faced harsh criticism Thursday from a leading Conservative strategist.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spoke in Saskatoon, casting doubt on Carney’s pledge to balance the budget – arguing that doing so would require $43 billion in cuts by fiscal year 2027-28.

Here’s a recap of what happened on Day 19 of the campaign.

8 p.m. EDT: Poilievre rallies thousands in Woolwich

Tonight at a Conservative rally in the Kitchener-Waterloo region – attended by more than 5,000 people, according to the party – Pierre Poilievre delivered a lengthy but base-energizing speech.

From talking about the Liberal “gun grab,” to his plans to offer drug rehabilitation treatment, Poilievre kept the crowd largely engaged through the event, which lasted longer than an hour. He also received big cheers for his promise to defund the CBC.

Packed in to an airport hangar, supporters were screened on their way in, with staff seeming to check people’s apparel and signage.

At one point, the lights went out and Poilievre quipped about bad Liberal energy policy. At another point, he went around the room asking skilled workers to shout out their trades and occupations.

Poilievre ended his rally calling on the crowd to get out and vote, and to tell their friends, family and neighbours to do the same.

Rachel Aiello, CTV News national correspondent

Carney faces hecklers in Hamilton

At least three protesters inside a Mark Carney campaign stop in Hamilton were led out, or in one case carried out, by police after briefly interrupting the Liberal leader’s speech.

This has become a common occurrence at Carney events this week: a heckler starts shouting, and Carney tries to address them briefly and move on, to various degrees of effectiveness.

The first protester yelled something about “Epstein,” an apparent reference to a conspiracy theory falsely linking Carney to the late disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The conspiracy theory traces back to old photos snapped of Carney with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, still in prison for her role in connection to his crimes. The Toronto Star reported how the original photos, amplified by AI-generated fakes, have blossomed into baseless claims that Carney is linked to Epstein.

That protester was carried out by police.

The crowd chanted “Carney” to drown him out, and Carney was able to carry on speaking shortly after. A couple minutes later, someone else yelled something that referenced “children,” but was hard to hear.

That’s when Carney addressed conspiracy theories more broadly and attempted to use the moment to connect to the day’s platform announcement. Part of the newly announced crime plan involves making it a criminal offence to “intentionally and willfully intimidate or threaten those attending services at these locations.”

“The sort of pollution that’s online that washes over our virtual borders with the United States. That’s a mild version of that,” Carney said, gesturing seemingly towards the heckler.

“That’s fine. I can take the conspiracy theory and all that. The more serious thing is when it affects how people behave in our society. When Canadians are threatened, threatened going to their community centres or their places of worship or their school or God forbid when it affects their children.”

Abigail Bimman, CTV News national correspondent

Doug Ford’s campaign manager accuses Poilievre camp of ‘campaign malpractice’

Leading Conservative campaign strategist Kory Teneycke is taking aim at his own party, accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his team of squandering a big lead.

Appearing on the Curse of Politics podcast Thursday morning, Teneycke made waves among political watchers when he said: “Blowing a 25-point lead and being like 10 points down is campaign malpractice at the highest level.”

Teneycke has served as Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s campaign manager and successfully led the Ontario Progressive Conservatives to three successive majority governments.

“I know it’s uncomfortable for people to hear that said out loud, but it’s in every poll and every poll aggregator, the numbers are the numbers, and saying that you don’t believe in polls, if you’re managing a campaign, it’s delusional,” Teneycke told CTV Power Play host Vassy Kapelos in an interview on Tuesday.

Despite nearly two years of a Conservative double-digit lead in public opinion polling, the Liberals surged in the polls after former leader and prime minister Justin Trudeau announced he would resign, and as U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Spencer Van Dyck, CTV News parliamentary bureau writer and producer

3:30 p.m. EDT: Carney says he wouldn’t recognize Palestinian state right now

During a campaign stop in the GTA Thursday, Mark Carney was asked whether he would follow in the footsteps of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said this week that France could recognize a Palestinian state in the coming months.

“My answer in a word; no,” Carney said.

“We support a two-state solution, but a two-state solution where we have a free and viable Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside an Israeli state which lives in peace and security. Those conditions do not exist at the moment, unfortunately.”

Carney was also asked to clarify whether he believes the situation in Gaza amounts to a genocide.

“This question is in front of the International Court of Justice, the situation is a horrible situation. I will not and I will never politicize that word or this situation,” he said.

An exchange with a Palestinian protester at a recent rally left it unclear whether Carney agreed with that language.

Joshua Freeman, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

2:00 p.m. EDT: Carney, EU Commission president hold phone call

Prime Minister Mark Carney and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke today to discuss “the imposition of tariffs and ongoing threat of further unjustified global trade actions by the U.S.,” a statement from the PMO reads.

They also spoke of strengthening economic ties for people on both sides of the Atlantic. Carney explained how he intends to fight tariffs targeting Canada to protect the Canadian economy.

The two leaders, the statement says, agreed to remain in close contact.

Earlier today, Carney said he would be returning to Ottawa after he’s done with election campaigning as Liberal leader to deal with Trump’s latest tariff announcements.

Lynn Chaya, CTVNews.ca breaking digital assignment editor

11:30 a.m. EDT: Singh doubts Carney on budget balance

Speaking in Saskatoon, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh casted doubt that Mark Carney can balance the federal operating budget without making deep cuts to services.

The NDP campaign claims a Liberal government under Carney would have to cut $43 billion by the fiscal year 2027-28. Singh claims the cuts would come to program spending and transfers to the provinces and territories such as the Canada Health Transfer and Canada Social Transfer.

According to Carney’s website, his government would not make cuts to transfers to the provinces and territories.

Later on, Singh stopped to donate food at local food drive.

“Stuff the Bus” is a joint effort by the Saskatoon Paramedics Assocation and the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Center, with a goal of loading a city bus with non-perishable food items for those in need.

While there Singh met with volunteers and the director of the Saskatoon food bank and Learning Center Laurie O’Connor to talk about the needs in the community.

Mike Le Couteur, CTV News senior political correspondent

Carney says he’ll return to Ottawa to deal with tariffs

Liberal Leader Mark Carney says that he will be returning to Ottawa after his campaign stops today “in light of the evolving situation” produced by U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff announcements.

“President Trump is looking to fundamentally restructure the international trading system,” Carney said during a campaign stop in the Greater Toronto Area.

On Wednesday Trump announced a pause on reciprocal tariffs for all countries except China, which was handed an increased 125 per cent tariff on their goods. His announcement Wednesday did not alter tariffs already imposed on Canada.

“While that’s a welcome reprieve for the global economy, the impacts of other tariffs and the threat of the future tariffs are already being felt around the world and here at home,” Carney said. “So the stakes have never been higher for our economy.”

He said he will be convening a meeting with Minister of National Defence Bill Blair, the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations and other national security officials.

He said tariffs are still “threatening our families, our workers and our businesses” and promised to respond “with purpose and force.”

Joshua Freeman, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

11:30 a.m. EDT: Liberals’ crime prevention plan

Liberal Leader Mark Carney unveiled the Liberals’ plan to tackle crime, promising an “efficient gun-buyback program” for assault-style firearms, as well as legislation that would automatically revoke gun licenses for those convicted of violent offences, particularly intimate partner violence.

Carney also promised to hire 1,000 more RCMP personnel, train 1,000 more CBSA officers, and boost funding to the Public Prosecution Services of Canada.

He would also tighten bail laws for violent and organized crime, home invasions, car theft, and human trafficking, especially for repeat offenders.

Carney touched on a wide range of issues and said the Liberals’ plan will address sexual violence and intimate partner violence, online sextortion, home invasions, auto theft and other issues.

When it comes to the rising tide of hate crime, particularly antisemitisim and Islamophobia, he would introduce legislation to make it a criminal offence to willfully obstruct access to any place of worship, schools, or community centres; and to willfully intimidate or threaten those attending services at those locations.

Joshua Freeman, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

11 a.m. EDT: Poilievre says he would respect election results amid supporters’ doubt in polls

I’m Rachel Aiello and I’m covering the Conservative campaign today.

At his press conference in Milton, Ont., CTV News asked Pierre Poilievre about the people at his rally last night who were questioning current polling, whether he believes the polls, and whether he can commit to accepting the results of the election, no matter the outcome.

He said: “Yes.”

He then went on to state “that decision will be based on” whether after a “lost Liberal decade,” Canadians can afford a fourth Liberal term or whether they want change.

CTV News asked his staff for clarification after the press conference if that “yes” was to whether he believed the polls -- as reporters then tried to shout that clarifying question at Poilievre -- or to respecting the results of the election.

The staffer said it was a yes to accepting the outcome, and questioned what was meant by believing the polling.

Rachel Aiello, CTV News national correspondent

10:20 a.m. EDT: Poilievre talks housing as Conservative, Liberal campaigns target Ontario

Today, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is unveiling another plank of his housing plan, promising to incentivize municipalities to cut building taxes.

He is committing that for every dollar of relief that a town or city offers, a federal Conservative government would reimburse 50 per cent. For example, if a municipality cut development charges by $50,000 Poilievre’s government would pay $25,000.

This follows his pledge to scrap the GST on new homes priced up to $1.3 million.

The party says these measures combined could cut housing taxes by $100,000 for the average home in high-priced markets, such as the GTA or Lower Mainland Vancouver.

The party says they’re budgeting $1.5 billion for this policy.

Poilievre, speaking at a build site in Milton, Ont. criticized the Liberals for their handling of the housing crisis and said they shouldn’t be trusted to fix it.

Later today, Poilievre will be rallying supporters in Woolwich, Ont. He is not the only leader campaigning in the GTA and surrounding areas today.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney flew into Toronto late last night and has stops planned in Brampton, Ont. and Hamilton, Ont., making today a bit of a battle in vote-rich Ontario.

As of dissolution, the Conservatives held 40 of the 121 seats in this province, while the Liberals had 77. Due to redistribution, which shifted the boundaries for many ridings, there’s one extra Ontario seat up for grabs in this campaign.

Latest Nanos tracking released this morning has the Liberals leading the Conservatives in Ontario by nine percentage points.

Rachel Aiello, CTV News national correspondent

Poilievre ‘closing the leadership gap’ as close race continues

The close race between the Liberals and Conservatives continues on Day 19 of the federal election campaign with a five-point difference separating the two main parties.

A three-day rolling sample by Nanos Research ending April 9 has the Liberals at 43 per cent over the Conservatives who are at 38 per cent nationally.

The New Democratic Party remains in single digits at nine per cent, followed by the Bloc Quebecois (six per cent), Green Party of Canada (three per cent) and the People’s Party of Canada (two per cent).

The Conservatives have seen gains this week in seat-rich Ontario, where they sit at 41 per cent versus the Liberals at 48 per cent.

While Liberal Leader Mark Carney still enjoys a strong lead over Conservative Leader Piere Poilievre when Canadians are asked who they want as their next prime minister, the gap appears to be shrinking.

Read the full story here.

Phil Hahn, CTVNews.ca election editor-in-chief

Supporters turn out for Singh in Saskatchewan

In what was his largest rally of the campaign so far, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh pumped up the packed campaign office for Saskatoon West candidate Rachel Loewen Walker.

Local officials say 300 people turned up for Singh to give a speech to party faithful Wednesday night.

Reminding volunteers that the New Democratic Party was founded in Saskatchewan, Singh encouraged people to send as many NDP MPs to Ottawa as possible.

The federal NDP is hoping to capitalize on the provincial party’s success in the 2024 election where it gained 13 seats in the legislature, nearly doubling the number of seats it had going into the vote.

Mike Le Couteur, CTV News senior political correspondent