Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the Governor General confirmed what everyone following Canadian politics knew since Carney accepted the helm of the Liberal Party and became, in effect, the prime minister of our country. Canadians expected, wanted, and needed an election to provide someone with a mandate to help the nation deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat and clean up the mess left behind by the exiting leader, Justin Trudeau. Interested parties understand that Trump will be the focus of this campaign, but there will be other participants.
The 37-day campaign, the shortest allowed under Canadian law, will end on Monday, April 28. The contest promises to be a tight race between two men with differing approaches but overlapping policies. They have not faced off in parliament and have had few opportunities to exchange pleasantries. They will lead their parties into this campaign as the title contenders, but there will be roles for a supporting cast of players who will help determine the outcome. Advisors, officials, and party spokesmen will contribute to the messaging each team wants to convey daily, but there will also be room for high-profile participants including former prime ministers. This author expects Stephen Harper, John A. Macdonald, Jean Chrétien, and Justin Trudeau to make some noise throughout the campaign, though Trudeau’s will be involuntary and Macdonald’s posthumously.
Harper will stump and write articles on behalf of the Conservative campaign. I would not be surprised if he and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre make at least one appearance together, especially if the Conservatives look near majority territory. Harper has immense credibility in parts of Canada that would help Poilievre. There are ridings in Ontario that will want to know that Harper has stamped his seal of approval on the CPC leader. Harper will emphasize that he brought Poilievre into politics as a teenager, recruited him to run in 2004, and mentored him during the aspiring prime minister’s early years in government. “I tell people he not only always performed well in every job that I gave him,” Harper said. “He always got better, which is one of the criteria I use to evaluate people” (Stephen Harper on Poilievre, Trump and ‘Far Left’ Liberals, Jen St. Denis, The Tyee, Jan 15, 2025).
Harper acknowledged Poilievre’s decision to bypass legacy media while complimenting his latest successor because of the press’s hostile approach to covering the opposition leader. Harper said, “His social media, videos and presence have far bigger audiences than the traditional media in Canada, which is why he can ignore them, or even from time to time attack them,” referring to Poilievre’s practice of aggressively questioning reporters during scrums. “He doesn’t need them…They are the real opponent” (St. Denis, The Tyee, Jan 15, 2025). To the extent that Poilievre can leverage Harper’s support in key ridings, it could help put him over the top. Harper also holds no brief for Carney, a man he once hoped to hire as finance minister in his government. Carney turned him down, but Harper finds Carney’s boasts about saving Canada financially in 2008 as an exaggerated claim and one that Carney knows to be false.
A National Post report on March 3, 2025 (Stuart Thomson) disclosed a letter from Harper to Conservative supporters stating, “Carney’s experience is NOT the day-to-day management of Canada’s economy during the global financial crisis,” wrote Harper.
“I have listened, with increasing disbelief, to Mark Carney’s attempts to take credit for things he had little or nothing to do with back then. He has been doing this at the expense of the late Jim Flaherty, among the greatest Finance Ministers in Canada’s history, who sadly is not here to defend his record. But let me be very clear: the hard calls during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis were made by Jim,” he wrote. The Liberal Party responded by insisting that Carney’s bio on LinkedIn reflected the record and that Harper and the Conservatives were just worried about Carney’s threat to Conservative hopes. Harper will be heard from during the coming campaign and may have something to say to help tilt the race in favour of his former understudy.
At 91, Chrétien will not take on big tours or campaign relentlessly for Carney, but his appearances will make news and over-deliver. His speech at the recently concluded Liberal convention appealed across party lines and spoke to the former prime minister’s popularity as an elder statesman. His passion for Canada and stories about the figurative wars for the country’s soul will come in handy as the Carney team tries to position itself as the natural defender of Canadian sovereignty in the face of the Trump threat to our nationhood. Chrétien will be helpful in Quebec ridings and some in Ontario. He is beloved in Atlantic Canada. Anyone underestimating his ability to rouse a crowd will be surprised at how spry, energetic, and passionate he can still be over 60 years after entering the House of Commons.
As for John A. Macdonald, expect Poilievre to take issue with how indelicately our first prime minister has been treated lately. Macdonald has been eliminated from the ten-dollar bill, had statues removed, and his name scrubbed from schools, historical sites, places of business, and markers. The Liberal Party believes it can win the campaign resting on its laurels as the natural governing party and the one most dedicated to Canada’s independence. How they reconcile that with the complete dismissal of Macdonald, the man who made Canada, remains to be seen. This author expects Poilievre to press the matter urgently. Watching Carney stickhandle around his party’s woke messages and efforts to erase our first prime minister will reveal more about Carney’s authenticity than his intelligence. If Macdonald’s legacy trips up Carney on his way to forming the government, Old Tomorrow (Macdonald’s nickname) will have had the last laugh a hundred thirty-four years after his death. Never underestimate the ability of historical arguments to create baggage when you try to play both sides of an issue. Liberals suddenly rediscovering their patriotism after burying the nation’s founder seems a bit ironic. Some might call it just desserts if Macdonald gets some payback when the returns come in.
As popular as a bad rash on a hot day, Trudeau will also play a role. Poilievre will try bringing him up whenever he can while Carney will attempt to forget Trudeau ever existed. The ability of one to play on Trudeau’s unpopularity and the skill of the other to reduce Trudeau’s negatives will decide who wins the election. Along with the other prime ministers, Trudeau’s shadow will weigh heavily on this campaign. His long leadership of this nation will be held in the balance. Carney will try hard to diminish its impact and shrink its influence. He will run from his predecessor and cozy up to many Conservative policies claiming Liberals will implement them better. Canadians will be left with a choice between the two parties and their leaders. Names from our past will help us decide how to proceed as our nation digs in for an economic struggle to maintain our sovereignty.
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who now works part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, where he earned a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
