2025 Canadian Election Leaders’ Debate: Tariffs & Interruptions

The 2025 Canadian federal election campaign reached a critical juncture with the English-language Leaders’ Debate on April 17, 2025. As Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet faced off, Canadians took to social media platforms to voice their reactions. By tracking conversations on X, Bluesky, and Reddit under hashtags #Debates2025 and #Debatdeschefs, we captured a sampling of public sentiment, revealing key annoyances, resonant topics, and shifts in online support.

Annoyances: Drama, Interruptions, and Wounded Politeness

Social media users were irritated by the candidates’ frequent interruptions and tendency to speak over one another. Jagmeet Singh in particular was called out online as “annoying” for his perceived lack of politeness.

Another prominent annoyance was the focus on post-debate media scrums, particularly the controversy surrounding accreditation and who qualifies as a journalist. The cancellation of scrums after a scuffle involving Rebel News drew some online attention, with users lamenting that this drama overshadowed substantive policy discussions.

What Resonated: Tariffs, Economy, and Energy Take Center Stage

Tariffs and the economy emerged as the dominant topics. Social media posts reflected intense interest in how each leader proposed to navigate these challenges, with users dissecting the motivation and quality of the answers rather than the subject matter itself.

Energy and pipelines also featured prominently, often framed in the dual context of economic growth and climate policy. Surprisingly, while tariffs dominated, explicit mentions of Trump were less frequent than expected. Polls, such as those from Ipsos, have indicated that Trump’s influence is a pivotal factor in Canadians’ voting decisions, yet online discussions focused more on the economic implications of tariffs than on Trump himself.

Who Won The Canadian Election Leader's Debate? Tracking Online Support and Sentiment

To gauge which leader resonated most with online audiences, we analyzed the use of hashtags expressing clear support (e.g., #TeamCarney, #PoilievreForPM) or rejection (e.g., #NoCarney, #NeverPoilievre). At the debate’s outset, support for the Liberals was already ahead of the Conservatives, however, by the one-hour mark, pro-Liberal hashtags significantly outpaced pro-Conservative ones, suggesting a surge in online enthusiasm for Carney.

This shift should be interpreted cautiously. The higher volume of Liberal-supporting posts may reflect genuine grassroots support for Carney’s prime ministerial demeanor and economic credentials. Alternatively, it could indicate a more active Liberal campaign machine, as similar patterns were observed during the French-language debate on April 16.

Poilievre, while trailing Carney, performed notably better in capturing attention compared to the French debate. Users were watching closely for sloganeering and his ability to appear ministerial, and he has a strong fan base who felt he delivered a strong showing.

Jagmeet Singh, however, struggled to gain traction. Despite his aggressive interventions, many online reactions focused more on his interruptions than his policy points.

Conclusion: A Debate Defined by Economic Anxiety and Online Dynamics

The 2025 English-language Leaders’ Debate sparked robust social media engagement, with tariffs and the economy dominating conversations, followed closely by energy and climate concerns. Canadians expressed frustration with interruptions and peripheral dramas, yearning for a more orderly exchange. Online support leaned heavily toward Carney’s Liberals by the debate’s midpoint, though Poilievre’s improved performance kept the Conservatives competitive. Singh’s struggles highlight the difficulty of breaking through in a polarized race.

These insights, drawn from #Debates2025 and #Debatdeschefs, offer a window into public sentiment but should be tempered by the limitations of social media data, which may amplify organized campaigns or vocal minorities. As Canadians head to advance polls and the April 28 election, we will see if these debates succeeded in swinging the undecided.