Wednesday April 23, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 3:38 pm PT | Updated April 24, 2025 – 11:28 am]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
In this last days of this federal election campaign period ahead of the April 28 general election, Liberal Leader Mark Carney today made a second visit to Victoria.
He was last here on April 6 and 7. Each time, he remarks on how wonderful the weather is. Last time it was drizzly and this time it was almost warm with a light breeze. So it’s a desirable pit stop!
But the business at hand was to deliver another campaign speech and provide further support to south Vancouver Island Liberal candidates, one of whom might make a dent in the NDP stronghold that has blocked any Liberal win since 2011.
Candidates the podium with Carney today were Blair Herbert (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford), Will Greaves (Victoria), Stephanie McLean (Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke), David Beckham (Saanich-Gulf Islands), Michelle Corfield (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) and Brian Cameron (Courtenay-Alberni).
Carney’s wife Diana also attended. She told Island Social Trends that “it’s a privilege” to travel so much across the country.
Not much new:
There wasn’t a whole lot of new content in Carney’s remarks televised from the podium on the outdoor entertainment patio at The Fairmont Empress Hotel. He reiterated how a Liberal government will stand up against the US President’s economic pressure on Canada, but with a special emphasis on BC including forestry and trade.
“The biggest thing in this election is who’s going to stand up to President Trump,” said Carney. Repetition is usually necessary, but today it landed as if most voters hadn’t already been listening.
While that might seem appropriate to repeat the ‘dealing with Trump’ message that has brought momentum to the Liberal campaign, it fell a bit flat today, for all the effort to hold a news conference.
It almost felt a bit overly confident, that the Canadian audience doesn’t need to hear anything new before voting on April 28; a strong advance turnout doesn’t necessarily mean the overall number of voters will be greater at the end of it all.
It shows a bit of fatigue in the campaign and the lack of anything new today possibly conveys that they feel they’ve said enough. But many voters could still be undecided and those voters will need specifics to close the deal on who they will vote for.
Lovely Victoria harbour setting:
Perhaps today’s media event was mostly about the setting… with the BC Legislature and Inner Harbour clearly in the background. There weren’t any BC leaders there, but the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce was invited and was there (on April 16 the Chamber recently hosted a listening session with candidates from four parties, where Will Greaves was the Liberal candidate).
But it was most clearly about getting some face-time with media cameras for the south Vancouver Island Liberal candidates. If even one of those Liberal candidates wins on April 28 they will make a dent in the longstanding NDP stronghold.
Despite having a harbour view, there was no mention of the ocean-related blue economy and no mention of the importance of the visitor economy that is key for this region.
Carney did himself bring up the word ‘progressive’ in his press conference in Victoria yesterday, with some reference to doing what the NDP is standing for. He pointed out the Conservatives would cut dental care and Pharmacare, public health care and support for the environment as well as funding for the CBC.
Poilievre and Trump:
“In an economic crisis, a plan beats no plan,” said Carney to emphasize what is considered his strong suit of having a strong economics career background. But that also might be turned around to imply that any plan is okay.
Today Carney said that Poilievre ignores the resources that are needed for Canada’s growth.
“My new government will stand strong against President Trump’s tariffs, create higher-paying jobs and lifelong careers, cut taxes for the middle class and build the fastest growing economy in the G7,” said Carney, following with the BC emphasis. “We will protect British Columbia – together, we will build Canada strong.”
Repackaged for a BC voter base:
The rest of the BC messaging was the same as previous platform announcements including building more homes that are affordable, providing funds to spur the construction of prefabricated homes including using BC mass timber and softwood lumber, and protecting natural habitats.
On this same day, the BC Government announced a forestry manufacturing fund to help maintain productivity and jobs in the forestry sector.
He is obviously on Vancouver Island with so many of the island candidates to try and win at least one seat here. Perhaps he considers the best chance of that by Will Greaves in Victoria or Blair Herbert in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford — both of whom delivered brief remarks at the podium today.
Greaves is up against NDP incumbent Laurel Collins who is running for a third term and Herbert who is up against NDP incumbent Alistair MacGregor who is seeking a fourth term.
Supporting ferries in BC:
Island Social Trends asked Victoria Liberal candidate Will Greaves a few weeks ago about whether the Liberals would provide more funding to the ferry transportation system in BC.
Greaves said yes the party would look at that but said the Atlantic provinces seemed to have a greater need.
That same question was asked again by a journalist at today’s press conference, this time to the Liberal Leader, and the answer similarly pitched more need for Eastern Canada as “relative to the economics of the Confederation Bridge” but that he would take a look at BC’s ferry needs in the context of the provincial and federal governments “working together to solve problems”. He said he would “be open to working with the province if necessary to ensure that the islands in BC are properly supported”.
That response was politically corrected but still showed a lack of depth of understanding of the BC Ferries system as a key transportation service for commerce and industry as well as general population travel not to mention ferries as a key component of the visitor economy in BC.
Carney added: “I would like to underscore my personal respect for the (BC) premier, how pleased I am we’ve established very quickly a very productive working relationship on everything forestry, critical minerals, and tackling housing.”
Liberal promises:
Here’s the full list of (previously announced) Liberal promises from today’s news release, which Carney delivered in person today with the override that it’s time for “serious leadership”:
“To stand up for British Columbians from President Trump and build Canada strong, a Mark Carney-led Liberal government will:”
- Build more homes British Columbians can afford by getting the federal government back into the business of building homes, and doubling the pace of construction over the next decade to almost 500,000 new homes a year across Canada. And we will be eliminating the GST on homes under $1 million and reducing the GST on homes between $1 million – $1.5 million;
- Build smarter by providing over $25 billion in financing to innovative prefabricated home builders, including those using B.C. and Canadian technologies and resources like mass timber and softwood lumber;
- Protect Canada’s nature and defend it for future generations by conserving natural habitats, protecting our water and resources, and connecting Canadians to nature;
- Support clean energy and technology by proceeding with Canada’s six major investment tax credits;
- Build major nation-building projects to connect Canada and grow the economy;
- Establish Canadian-made standards for federal infrastructure funding, including requirements to maximize the use of Canadian forestry, steel, and aluminum products;
- Cover apprenticeship training costs of up to $8,000 and create more training opportunities in the skilled trades, so more workers can join these professions and secure higher-paying careers;
- Invest in trade-enabling infrastructure, to diversify our trade away from the United States, create new jobs, and build one Canadian economy; and,
- Work with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis to recognize their rights and jointly advance their priorities on the shared path toward reconciliation.
Media today:
As usual, national media travelling with the Liberal Leader were given time for questions; their questions are generally broadly applied to the whole country or the overall election issues.
Two local media were invited to the microphone (CTV Vancouver Island and Black Press/Victoria News) after all local media there conferred on what to ask and who would do it.
===== RELATED:
- BC supports advanced manufacturing of forestry products (April 24, 2025)
- Voting for candidate or party in federal election 2025 (April 20, 2025)
- Federal leaders debates, Commission failures, & advance vote surge (April 19, 2025)
- Strong turnout on first day of federal advance voting (April 18, 2025)
- Carney’s Liberal approach to tough on crime & public safety (April 10, 2025)
- Liberal promise for a new home-building sector in Canada would help boost BC forestry sector (April 8, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: CANADA-NATIONAL | CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION 2025