Photo: The Canadian Press

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left to right, Liberal Leader Mark Carney and New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet participate in the English-language federal leaders' debate in Montreal, Thursday, April 17, 2025.

UPDATE: 12:25 p.m.

The federal Liberals and NDP both released their costed campaign platforms Saturday as Canada's 45th general election inched toward the finish line.

With just over one week left before election day, and on the second of four days of advance voting, Liberal Leader Mark Carney and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh published documents outlining their full campaign commitments and what they say they'll cost.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who was campaigning in Richmond Saturday, said his full platform will come soon, but said "95 per cent" of it has already been announced.

Carney rolled out the party's campaign commitments in Whitby, Ont., one of several battleground ridings in the seat-rich Greater Toronto Area.

The platform pledges billions in new spending as Carney eyes attracting and stimulating private-sector investment amid the global economic crisis prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.

"Governments must lead and catalyze private sector investments," Carney said. "The core of this platform is investing, and investing here at home is going to build out."

The Liberal platform includes $35.2 billion in new spending over the next year, and $129 billion over the next four years.

The spending is heavily focused on building, including in defence, housing and trade infrastructure such as ports and highways.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh released his own platform in Burnaby, where his own riding is located. The NDP document forecasts a net increase to the federal deficit of $48 billion over four years, a tally that builds in large offsets from a new tax on the "super rich."

Singh's wealth tax would apply to people with holdings over $10 million, and the party says it would generate more than $22 billion a year.

"No nurse, no teacher, no tradesperson should pay more than a billionaire flipping stocks," Singh said, before heading to a rally in Victoria later Saturday.

B.C. is critical ground for the NDP, home to 13 of the 25 seats it won in 2021. Polling aggregator 338Canada.com says right now just one of those seats is a possible win for the NDP, with the Liberals set to scoop up as many as eight of them and the Conservatives as many as five.

Poilievre was campaigning in Richmond, the city of about 200,000 people just outside Vancouver. Nearly 60 per cent of residents cited East Asian as their ethnicity in the last Census.

The Liberals won the two seats in Richmond in 2021, but the margins are close and the seats are both in contention for the Conservatives in this match up.

Poilievre spent most of his speech criticizing the Liberal platform for being too expensive, calling it "shocking."

"We now know that life will get even more expensive if the Liberals get that fourth term," he said.

He did announce a plan to allow judges to order mandatory drug treatment for certain prisoners to access parole. He said it is compassionate for judges to allow those with small quantities of drugs to seek drug treatment instead of jail. but those with more serious sentences would need to serve their full term behind bars if they don't undertake treatment.

"This policy is not about punishment; it's about redemption," he said.

Carney is focusing Saturday's campaign efforts in southern Ontario, completing a whistle stop in Newcastle before holding a rally in Peterborough, where the Liberals seek to unseat incumbent Conservative Michelle Ferreri.

She won in 2021 by several thousand votes, but polls have suggested a closer contest this time. A third party group registered with Elections Canada to try and unseat Ferreri, under the name No More MP Ferreri. It appears to be the only one of 93 third party groups registered that specifically targets one candidate.

Advance polls continue through Monday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time.

UPDATE: 9:50 a.m.

The Liberals and NDP released their costed campaign platforms Saturday, with just over one week left in the election campaign.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney rolled out the party's campaign commitments in Whitby, Ont., one of several battleground ridings in the seat-rich Greater Toronto Area.

The platform pledges billions in new spending and charts a major change in priorities from the party's 2021 platform under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The 65-page document shows a reversal in the proportion of operating and capital spending within the government as Carney eyes attracting and stimulating private-sector investment amid the global economic crisis prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.

The documents come after advance voting began Friday, with voters packing polling stations across the country.

Carney will focus his campaign on southern Ontario Saturday, making a whistle stop in Newcastle before holding a rally in Peterborough. The Liberals are trying to unseat incumbent Conservative Michelle Ferreri in the Peterborough riding.

Ferrari won in 2021 by several thousand votes but polls have suggested a closer contest this time. A third party group registered with Elections Canada to try and unseat Ferreri, under the name No More MP Ferreri.

The other two main party leaders are just outside Vancouver, with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh releasing his platform in Burnaby, B.C., and then heading to a rally in Victoria.

The NDP platform promises a wealth tax on "super-rich millionaires" the party says would generate more than $22 billion a year, as well as $7 billion for mental health coverage.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is slated to hold a news conference in Richmond.

Advance polls continue today through Monday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time.

ORIGINAL: 7:20 a.m.

The Liberals and the NDP both say they will release their costed electoral platforms today.

The documents come after advance voting began Friday with voters packing polling stations across the country.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney will release his party's costed platform in Whitby, Ont., in the Greater Toronto Area where numerous seats are in play.

He will do a whistle stop later today in Newcastle, Ont., and then hold a rally in Peterborough, Ont.

The other two main party leaders are just outside Vancouver today, with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh expected to release his platform in Burnaby, B.C., and then head to a rally in Victoria.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is slated to hold a news conference in Richmond.

Advance polls continue today through Monday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time.