As Canada’s political leaders gear up for the fall parliamentary session, the summer travel itineraries of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh reveal their strategic priorities leading into what could be a pivotal election season.
From June 19 to September 13, the leaders’ movements were tracked to assess where they focused their efforts. Poilievre emerged as the most active, visiting 11 provinces and territories over 19 trips. Singh followed closely with 10 provinces and territories across 29 trips, while Trudeau made the fewest visits, traveling to seven provinces and no territories during 28 trips.
Notably, none of the leaders ventured to Saskatchewan, where the Conservatives hold all the ridings, nor did anyone visit the Yukon. Singh and Poilievre made stops in the Northwest Territories, and Poilievre briefly visited Nunavut, while Trudeau skipped New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Ontario and Quebec were focal points for all three leaders, with the Greater Toronto Area seeing significant activity. Poilievre led in time spent there, visiting various cities and attending community events. Singh and Poilievre devoted similar efforts to northern Ontario, while Quebec saw Trudeau and Singh making more appearances than Poilievre, particularly in Greater Montreal, where Singh focused on byelection campaigning.
In their quest for working-class votes, Poilievre stood out for visiting numerous blue-collar workplaces, with at least 59 such stops. Singh, popular among labor unions, made at least nine visits to union events and stood on picket lines during job actions. Trudeau made eight trips to work sites, often to announce government initiatives.
The leaders also had unreported absences during their summer travels. Trudeau faced criticism for 26 days where his public events weren’t noted in his itinerary, while Poilievre and Singh each had about a month of untracked days. Trudeau spent two weeks in Tofino, B.C., Singh vacationed in Burnaby, B.C., and Poilievre’s personal days were largely unaccounted for.
As they return to Parliament, the summer’s travels highlight the differing strategies and priorities of Trudeau, Poilievre, and Singh, setting the stage for a highly charged political environment.
