With the 2025 Federal Election on the horizon, businesses across the province are paying close attention to how political parties plan to address key economic challenges. This page will be regularly updated with key election insights, OCC advocacy efforts, and resources to help members navigate the election.
Latest Campaign Updates
Liberal Party of Canada – Leader: Right Honourable Mark Carney
- Taxes: The Liberals have proposed cutting the marginal tax rate for the lowest income bracket by 1%, estimating savings of up to $825 per year for middle-class families. Prior to the election call, the government announced the elimination of the consumer carbon tax and paused planned increases to the capital gains tax.
- Tariffs: The Liberals would create a $2 billion fund to bolster the auto sector.
- Healthcare: The Liberals plan to expand the national dental care program to all eligible Canadians starting in May, following its initial launch for seniors in December 2023.
- Housing: The Liberals promise to eliminate the GST for first-time home buyers on homes at or under $1 million, saving homebuyers up to $50,000. They also announced a housing plan which will double the pace of construction to nearly 500,000 new homes annually by creating Build Canada Homes (BCH), which will act as a developer to build affordable housing at scale, including on public lands. Additionally, the plan proposes cutting municipal development charges in half for multi-unit residential housing and reintroducing tax incentives to stimulate rental housing construction.
- Infrastructure: The Liberals promise create a First Mile Fund to build transportation networks to connect natural resource extraction sites to rail lines and roads. They would put into effect a “one window” approvals process to fast-track approvals for large-scale, national-interest infrastructure projects. Lastly, they would work to speed up approvals for the construction.
- Energy: The Liberals aim to transform Canada into a global energy superpower by investing in both clean and conventional energy sectors to enhance energy security, diversify trade, and boost long-term competitiveness. Key initiatives include fast-tracking nationally significant clean energy projects, investing in critical minerals through a new First and Last Mile Fund, and shifting the carbon pricing burden from consumers to large corporations to support emissions reductions and clean energy adoption
Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) – Leader: Pierre Poilievre
- Taxes: The Conservatives have proposed a 2.25% tax cut for the lowest income bracket, which he says could save families up to $1,800 annually. The party has also pledged to eliminate the consumer carbon tax and halt planned increases to the capital gains tax.
- Tariffs: The Conservatives would allow Canadians to save an additional $5,000 in their Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) if that money is invested into Canadian companies as part of a strategy to bolster investment in the country.
- Healthcare: The Conservatives say they won’t cut pharmacare or dental care programs if elected.
- Housing: The Conservatives announced they will eliminate the federal GST on new homes up to $1.3 million to save homebuyers up to $65,000.
- Infrastructure: The Conservatives propose streamlining regulatory approvals by creating a single office requiring just one application and environmental review per project, capping approval timelines at one year. They also plan to invest $1 billion in Ring of Fire infrastructure, allow tax-sharing with First Nations, repeal the Impact Assessment Act, and establish a national energy corridor and shovel-ready zones to fast-track resource development.
- Energy: The CPC proposes to eliminate the federal carbon pricing system, advocating for provincial autonomy in climate policy decisions. Their energy strategy emphasizes expanding oil and gas production, investing in technologies like carbon capture and small modular reactors, and implementing mandates such as requiring 30% of light-duty vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2030.
New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) – Leader: Jagmeet Singh
- Taxes: The NDP are promising to raise the basic personal amount to $19,500 for anyone earning less than $177,882. They say the move would save workers about $505. The NDP would also permanently remove the GST from essentials like grocery store meals, diapers and strollers, as well as from monthly bills such as cell, internet and heating bills. In addition, they would double the Canada Disability Benefit.
- Tariffs: The NDP say they would protect the auto sector, protect Canadian jobs and “make sure working families aren’t left behind.”
- Healthcare: The NDP proposes strengthening public universal health care by expanding pharmacare, dental care and mental health support for Canadians. It would ban U.S. companies from buying Canadian health-care businesses. It would enforce the Canada Health Act to end privatization of health care and require provinces seeking federal funding to uphold public health-care standards.
- Housing: The NDP has proposed utilizing suitable federal Crown land to develop more than 100,000 rent-controlled homes over a ten-year period. They also promise to invest $1 billion over five years to acquire more public land for rent-controlled home construction through the Public Land Acquisition Fund.
- Infrastructure: The New Democrats propose a major infrastructure program using only Canadian steel and prioritizing the creation of an east-west electricity grid. They oppose the LNG pipeline in Quebec and Energy East, support provincial veto rights over energy projects, and would prioritize Canadian, unionized companies in federally funded project bids.
Bloc Québécois – Leader: Yves-François Blanchet
- Tariffs: The Bloc is calling for pandemic-style wage subsidies for workers impacted by tariffs. It would table a bill to protect supply management and Quebec farmers in future trade agreements. It would table a bill to guarantee local purchasing and reserve a percentage of Canadian content in public contracts and federal procurement, similar to the Buy American Act.
- Procurement: The Bloc Québécois has pledged to introduce a bill in the next parliamentary session aimed at supporting local procurement at the government level. The proposed legislation would require a percentage of public and federal contracts to include Canadian products.
- Healthcare: The Bloc would push for a 35 per cent boost to federal health transfers based on total costs. The party would table a bill to amend the Criminal Code and allow people with an illness that will prevent them from consenting to make an advance request for medical assistance in dying (MAID) for provinces that already authorized the process.
- Housing: The Bloc proposes that $1.2 billion from the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund to be transferred to Quebec without conditions and integrate the funding to an existing program or use it for a new one that would better serve municipalities. The party is in favour of a GST rebate on new homes for first-time homebuyers and wants to eliminate the GST for services related to the purchase of a first home, such as building inspections
- Infrastructure: The Bloc Québécois supports building a high-speed rail line between Quebec City and Toronto and advocates for doubling federal funding for public transit, including maintaining existing systems like the Montreal Metro. The party opposes the Energy East pipeline and the Chalk River nuclear waste disposal project due to environmental concerns in Quebec.
Green Party of Ontario Canada – Co-Leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault
- Taxes: The Green Party of Canada aims to create a fairer tax system by eliminating federal income tax on earnings under $40,000, ensuring working Canadians retain more of their income. They plan to finance this by closing corporate tax loopholes, particularly those exploited by large tech companies and banks, to ensure all entities contribute equitably to public services.
- Healthcare: The Green Party aims to strengthen the universal health care system by providing stable, long-term funding to provinces and territories, training and hiring more health care workers to improve access and reduce wait times, and expanding home and community care services. They advocate for investing in public health care rather than allowing for-profit corporations to deliver more services, ensuring access to reproductive care across Canada, and expanding Medicare coverage to include universal pharmacare, dental care, and mental health services.
- Housing: The Green Party proposes to establish clear definitions of “affordable” based on individuals or families spending no more than 30% of their income on housing, strengthening market regulations to prevent corporate speculation, and launching the largest public housing construction initiative since the 1970s to build truly affordable homes using Canadian materials and labor.
- Infrastructure: The Green Party would prioritize clean energy projects, infrastructure to protect drinking water, and ensuring AI centres are powered by clean technology. They also propose increasing investment in shipyards to boost rapid production under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
OCC Advocacy
News Releases
Ontario’s Prosperity, Canada’s Progress: Ontario Chamber unveils federal election priorities
2025 Federal Election Priorities: Click Here.
Pillar 1 | A competitive business and trade environment: Strengthen the Canadian Free Trade Agreement; ensure a swift renegotiation of CUSMA; diversify export opportunities; introduce targeted support programs for businesses; and conduct a comprehensive federal tax and spending review.
Pillar 2 | Qualified people, diverse talent: Align immigration and workforce strategies with labour market needs; enhance tri-council research funding to attract top global talent; reform Employment Insurance to ensure governance, programs, and policies remain sustainable, affordable, and relevant for current and future generations of employers and employees.
Pillar 3 | Growth-enabling infrastructure: Establish a national energy corridor and align regulatory frameworks; attract private investment in low-carbon energy and climate adaptation projects; expand investment in trade-enabling infrastructure such as transportation hubs and rail and marine corridors; and enhance broadband access across Canada.
Pillar 4 | Healthy and sustainable communities: Strengthen approval processes for innovative medicines and medical devices; prioritize investments across the life sciences ecosystem; and expedite efforts to address Health Human Resource shortages.
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By staying informed and engaged, Ontario’s business community can play a key role in shaping Canada’s economic future. Stay tuned for updates!