Which Federal Candidates are the Premiers Endorsing?

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4/24/2025Updated: 4/24/2025

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The countdown is on for Canada’s federal election and some premiers have made it clear who they will cast a vote for when they head to the ballot box on April 28.

While many of the leaders have indicated they will back the federal party of the same political stripe, there are a few notable exceptions as well as some who have decided to stay out of the federal fray.

Provincial parties are not typically obligated to support the federal party of the same name. Only the federal and provincial NDP parties share membership, with the exception of the New Democratic Party of Quebec.

The Liberal and Conservative parties at both the federal and provincial levels are independent entities, however. And while they may have overlapping ideologies they also have some differences.

Here’s a look at which federal party each provincial leader has chosen to endorse.

B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during a news conference in Vancouver, on Jan. 7, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns) — B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during a news conference in Vancouver, on Jan. 7, 2025. The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns

British Columbia

B.C. Premier David Eby, one of Canada’s two NDP premiers, has displayed party loyalty in this election.

Eby appeared alongside federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in a video posted to social media to encourage British Columbians to cast their ballots for NDP candidates in the upcoming federal election.

Eby said Singh’s party leveraged its influence over the federal Liberals to implement initiatives that benefit ordinary Canadians.

“[Singh’s] team from B.C., the NDP MPs, were part of a national team that helped deliver pharmacare, helping Canadians afford medications – in some cases even get them free dental care, so people can get their teeth fixed, the basics for Canadians,” he said. “Be sure to re-elect NDP MPs to make sure they’re out there advocating for Canadians every day.”

Alberta

Premier Danielle Smith has consistently voiced support for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. During a speech last month she praised Poilievre while criticizing new Liberal Leader Mark Carney and his predecessor Justin Trudeau for what she referred to as their “nation-killing policies.”

The United Conservative Party leader’s keynote address at the 2025 UCP Leader’s Dinner in Edmonton March 19 focused heavily on the past decade in which she says the federal government has launched ongoing “economic attacks” against Alberta by imposing “devastating policies” on the province’s industry and “blocking critical energy projects.”

Smith expressed frustration with Carney signalling he would not end the proposed cap on oil and gas emissions, saying Poilievre would help Alberta make the most of its resources.

“I have faith that Pierre will unleash Canada’s energy sector like we have never seen before,“ she said. ”He will bring back law and order to our cities and fix the Liberals’ open border immigration system.”

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is also throwing his support behind Poilievre.

Like Smith, his endorsement of the federal Conservatives went hand-in-hand with criticism of the Liberal government of the past decade.

The leader of the Saskatchewan Party, which is conservative, posted a video to social media on April 23 that criticized the Liberal government. The video shows Moe in his hometown of Shellbrook, which he described as being roughly 3,000 kilometres from Ottawa but feels like it’s “a million miles away.”

“That’s because we have had a federal government that has turned its back on this part of the country,” he said, adding that the Liberals have made it “more expensive” to produce food, fuel, and fertilizer products in Saskatchewan and then get those goods to market.

Saskatchewan’s attempts to engage with Ottawa in removing those barriers have been met with little action, he added.

“Let me be clear, Saskatchewan will never be part of the U.S., but isn’t it time we had a government that treats us like we’re a part of Canada?” he said. “That’s why I’m voting Conservative and voting for Pierre Poilievre to be our next prime minister.”

Moe described the federal Conservatives as the only party offering policies that will allow the province to develop and sell its resources, create good jobs, and make communities safer.

Manitoba

NDP Premier Wab Kinew has yet to follow the lead of fellow NDP Premier David Eby in officially offering an endorsement for the federal New Democrats.

Kinew greeted Singh at the legislature in Winnipeg on April 1 but while the meeting between the pair was friendly, it did not result in any public endorsement.

Kinew did, however, endorse NDP Elmwood-Transcona candidate Leila Dance when she ran in last September’s byelection.

Dance also said earlier this month that her current campaign has received support from her provincial NDP colleagues.

Ontario

Progressive-Conservative Premier Doug Ford has said his caucus is too busy to get involved with the federal election and has yet to officially endorse any candidate.

But that hasn’t kept the newly re-elected leader from wading into the conversation with comments that appear to support Carney and criticize Poilievre.

Ford recently came to the defence of his campaign manager Kory Teneycke, who has accused the federal Conservative team of “campaign malpractice,” referencing the party’s drop in the polls.

“If Kory was running that campaign, I don’t think Mr. Poilievre would be in the position he’s in right now,” Ford said during an April 14 press conference.

The Tories still have time to turn their poll numbers around before the April 28 election, Ford said, but added that “sometimes, the truth hurts.”

Some media reports suggested Ford unofficially endorsed Carney with the comments, noting that the premier has been complimentary of the new Liberal leader after their first meeting.

Ford has also said Carney has an “extremely astute business mind” and described him as someone he “can work with.”

The premier also had a meeting with Chrystia Freeland last month and praised the former finance minister during her campaign to become Liberal leader, saying he had an “incredible relationship” with her.

While Ford hasn’t made an official endorsement of any candidate, a member of his cabinet has endorsed Poilievre.

Ontario Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney introduced and endorsed Poilievre at an event in Toronto earlier this month, saying he was the only federal leader with “a plan to rebuild our country.”

“Pierre Poilievre is ready to lead us to a stronger, a more united and a more prosperous country than the one we inherited,” she said.

Quebec

Like Ford, Quebec Premier François Legault has not formally endorsed any federal political party.

The leader of Coalition Avenir Québec, the province’s conservative party, has said he wants the next prime minister of Canada to be an effective negotiator who advocates for the interests of Quebec, including its language, culture, and supply management system, during tariff discussions with the United States.

While Legault has not officially endorsed the Conservatives like he did in the 2021 election, he has praised Poilievre for his Quebec platform, which the Tory leader unveiled during a campaign stop in the province late last month.

Legault said during a March 27 press conference that Poilievre’s approach to immigration would be “a huge gain for Quebec, something we have asked for a long time.”

“We’re talking 200,000 people. Quebec would make the selection, it would handle renewals,” he said. “What I say is bravo for what (Poilievre) announced last night. I hope the other leaders will do the same thing. I have to salute it.”

New Brunswick

Liberal Premier Susan Holt initially said she had no plans to endorse any of the political parties in the upcoming election but she has since waded into the discussion.

Holt praised Carney in a recent speech, in which she recounted their meeting at a joint gathering with her fellow premiers following his inauguration as prime minister.

“I first met Mark Carney when he … took over leadership of the First Ministers meeting, and I got to see around that table someone who is calm, compassionate, competent,” she said. “He enhanced our unity as premiers. He enhanced our resolve to fight and to protect the Canada that we know and love.”

Nova Scotia

Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston has said he would not actively support any of the federal party leaders and would instead choose to vote for the party that best supports his province.

Houston told reporters last week he has written a letter to the Liberal and Conservative leaders to outline his province’s priorities.

The letter included the “top, big financial asks that I would have of the new government to work with us on,” Houston said, but noted that he plans to “work with whoever” wins the election.

“The relationship between the province of Nova Scotia and the federal government is very complex, very expansive, and we rely on each other for a lot of things,” he said during the April 17 press conference. “We just want to have a good partner in Ottawa.”

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey has not offered an endorsement to any of the parties but has shown some support for Carney.

Furey has called Mark Carney his “friend” and praised him in public. Right after Carney called an election and visited Newfoundland, Furey posted a video from his St. John’s rally on social media, repeating the Carney Liberals’ key slogan of “elbows up.”

“A warm Newfoundland and Labrador welcome to my friend, Prime Minister Mark Carney. Great to see the strong, united support - elbows up for Canada!” read the captioned post.

The Liberal leader has also written to outline a list of priorities for his province and sent copies to Carney, Poilievre, Singh, and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet.

Furey’s letter urged the parties to disregard a proposal from the former Liberal government that aimed to implement carbon emissions caps on the oil and gas sector. He also asked for the creation of a collaborative federal-provincial management system for the fishing industry, and revision of the equalization formula to more accurately represent the increased costs of service delivery in the province.

Furey, who announced his plans to step down later this spring, has not commented on his letter to the media although his office confirmed he has not received a written response from any of the candidates.

Prince Edward Island

Progressive Conservative Premier Rob Lantz has also stopped short of endorsing a candidate but he did take to Facebook last month to note that Poilievre had committed to removing Confederation Bridge tolls and would conduct a review of the federal government’s support for the Wood Islands Ferry.

In a separate post he said has received a verbal commitment from the Liberals “that Islanders will be receiving positive news on tolls for the Confederation Bridge and the Wood Islands Ferry in the coming days.”

“It’s satisfying that our federal parties are finally recognizing the unfairness of PEI’s bridge and ferry tolls and the competitive disadvantage they place on our province in a connected, trade dependent economy,” he wrote. “Under the threat of tariffs, it’s time to remove barriers to trade.”

Lantz has been the interim leader since former Premier Dennis King retired from politics in February.