With the federal election less than two weeks away, Canada's top political heavyweights will go head-to-head in two pivotal debates this week in hopes of winning over voters before they head to the polls. Liberal leader Mark Carney, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet, and Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault will exchange ideas on key issues ranging from tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to the affordability and housing crisis in French on April 16 and in English on April 17.
The two debates mark a critical moment in the lead-up to the federal election on April 28 as the race to the finish line tightens among leading parties. A recent Ipsos poll suggests the Liberals have lost a bit of ground gained since the campaigns kicked off, with the Conservatives narrowing the gap. However, Carney continues to lead. The survey also revealed that around four in ten Canadians expect to tune into the federal leaders' debates this week, with Carney being the clear favorite for the English version on Thursday and Poilievre for the French debate on Wednesday.
Yahoo News Canada will be streaming the debate live on its network and has put together an all-you-need-to-know guide on how to tune in from around the country:
How to watch the Canada federal election 2025 leaders' debate
Date and time: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 (French) at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT and Thursday, April 17, 2025 (English) at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT
Streaming: Tune in for free on the Yahoo Canada Homepage and catch up on everything you missed on Canada Federal Election 2025.
Although the Yahoo Canada Homepage has viewers covered on streaming the debates for zero extra cost, Canadians can also tune into CBC News, CTVNews.ca, the CTV News app, CTV News’ YouTube page, globalnews.ca, and the Global News YouTube page.
TV channels: CBC News, Global News, CTV News Channel
Location: Both debates will be broadcast live from the atrium of Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal.
When and what time does the debate start?
The French-language debate will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT on April 16, 2025. The debate was originally scheduled to start two hours later on Wednesday but was pre-poned because of a likely clash with a make-or-break Montreal Canadiens hockey game. The change was made after two of the five participants—NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Leader Yves François-Blanchet—requested the Leaders' Debate Commission to reschedule the French-language debate. The Montreal Canadiens will be playing their final game of the regular season on the same night.
The English-language debate will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT on April 17, 2025.
How to stream the leaders' debate
The Yahoo Canada Homepage will be streaming the debate live with a dedicated Canada Federal Election 2025 topic page to catch up on all the key moments from the debate nights and the campaigns going into the federal election on April 28. The debates can also be streamed on cbc.ca, CTVNews.ca, globalnews.ca, the respective apps offered by those networks, and their YouTube pages.
What channel is the debate on in Canada?
The Leaders' Debates Commission selected CBC/Radio-Canada to produce the two federal leaders' debates after an RFP process launched by the commission. The debates are presented as unbranded productions with a goal to achieve wide distribution across television, radio, and digital media. Other than streaming the debate live for free on the Yahoo Canada Homepage, Canadians watching at home can tune into broadcast channels like the CBC News Network, CTV News Channel, and the Global News Network. Through Bell, CTV News Channel is 501 and CBC News Network is on 502. For HD, look to 1501 and 1502, respectively. For Rogers, see here.
How can I watch the debate on my phone or mobile device?
The Yahoo Canada Homepage and the Canada Federal Election 2025 topic page will be the knights in shining armor for those keen on a handy solution to watching the debate live. Whether you are on your way home via the subway or tuning in from the park, just type Yahoo Canada Homepage on your phone browser and click open the first link under Yahoo! Canada. Additionally, CTV News, as well as digital watch services like Rogers Ignite TV and Bell Fibe, are available through apps that you can download for most devices, such as your phone.
What are the debate rules, themes, and format?
CBC/Radio-Canada announced each debate will be 120 minutes in length without commercial interruption, featuring similar formats, with an "emphasis" on open debate and questions asked by a single moderator. Each debate will feature five main editorial themes, and each theme includes a number of questions to provide “an opportunity for substantive discussion on policy issues and party platforms,” according to a press release issued by the Leaders' Debates Commission.
The French debate themes are: Cost of living, Energy and climate, Trade war, Identity and sovereignty, Immigration and foreign affairs. The English debate themes are: Affordability and the cost of living, Energy and climate, Leading in a crisis, Public safety and security, Tariffs and threats to Canada.
Who are the debate moderators?
Patrice Roy, journalist and news anchor of Radio-Canada's Téléjournal avec Patrice Roy and RDI's En direct avec Patrice Roy, will moderate the French-language debate on Wednesday. On Thursday, the moderation tasks will fall on Steve Paikin, host of TVO's flagship current affairs program The Agenda with Steve Paikin for the English-language debate.
What issues will the leaders debate?
The five leaders, each from a different federal party, will develop on the themes laid out for the debates on Wednesday and Thursday. While the themes are largely common across both debates, they are bound to be different. One of the key topics the Wednesday night debate will tackle is the ongoing trade war with the U.S. and Canada's identity and sovereignty. The following night, leaders will pitch how they are best suited to lead in a crisis and their vision for public safety and security.
How did the candidates qualify for the leaders' debate?
According to the Leaders' Debate Commission, federal parties must meet two of the following three criteria to qualify: having at least four percent national support in opinion polls, having at least one sitting MP who's been elected as a member of that party, or running candidates in at least 90 percent of all ridings. If eligible, the Commission will issue invitations to party leaders that meet the participation criteria 27 days before election day. The decision date is tied to Election Day to account for the length of the next general election campaign, whether long or short.
What makes this election unique?
University of Toronto professor Phil Triadafilopoulos emphasized in a previous interview that Trump's actions against Canada will dictate the messaging from Canadian political parties leading up to the election day. "Simple: Donald Trump," Triadafilopoulos said when asked what makes this election campaign period unique compared to others in the past. He noted that Trump's influence has already forced the Conservative Party of Canada to rewrite its playbook.
If there is a spike in asylum seeking from the U.S., all parties will have to take a position on what to do: restrict entry or open Canada to people fleeing ICE, deportation, etc.
