Why have federal party leaders spent little time in Alberta this election?

Nicholas Frew · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 2:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Federal enactment leaders person astir finished marching the run trail, but they person spent small clip successful Alberta on the way.

CBC News has tracked wherever the large enactment leaders held run events truthful far, up of predetermination time connected April 28.

While the Conservative, Liberal and NDP enactment leaders person visited Alberta, truthful acold each person has only visited one of the 2 biggest cities connected the run trail.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, for example, has lone been successful Calgary, though helium did sojourn Edmonton a fewer days earlier helium called the election.

"It boggles my caput however the Liberals would not nonstop their person into Edmonton," said Dennis Pilon, a authorities prof astatine York University successful Toronto. He described Edmonton arsenic a "key battleground" for the 3 large parties, but particularly the NDP and Liberals.

"That seems similar a changeable successful the limb — peculiarly erstwhile the polls are looking Liberal-positive."

Pierre Poilievre is scheduled to beryllium the archetypal large enactment person to sojourn the province's 2 largest cities, erstwhile helium makes a run halt successful Calgary Friday afternoon. 

Nationally, CBC's canvass tracker suggests the Conservatives, led by Poilievre, are chipping into the Liberals' lead. The NDP, led by Jagmeet Singh, is trying to clasp onto authoritative enactment status.

Alberta, historically, mostly votes blue, and the canvass tracker suggests the Conservatives are good up of the different parties successful the province.

"You person a beauteous bully thought what's going to hap [in Alberta] earlier the starting gun's adjacent fired," said Justin Archer, spouse of Berlin Communications, an Edmonton advertisement and communications agency.

"It doesn't marque a full ton of consciousness for radical to walk a batch of resources present trying to prime up seats." 

So far, large enactment leaders person combined for 11 visits to Alberta, a state with 37 seats. The 4 provinces successful Atlantic Canada, which harvester for 32 seats,  have had 23 enactment person visits this campaign. 

Archer and Pilon said that parties person constricted resources and, legally, tin lone walk truthful overmuch during a campaign, truthful they person to beryllium strategical astir wherever to nonstop their leaders.

Leaders thin to get sent wherever they tin make buzz — and, potentially, marque inroads, they said.

Singh held 5 events successful Edmonton, though 4 were successful the Edmonton Centre riding. Poilievre held 2 events successful Edmonton ridings, positive a rally conscionable southbound of the city. He volition sojourn Calgary for the archetypal clip connected the run way Friday afternoon. 

Carney, meanwhile, held 3 events successful Calgary, but nary successful Edmonton. 

The Green Party co-leaders person not visited the province. The Bloc Québécois lone campaigns wrong Quebec. People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier has made stops successful Edmonton and Calgary, arsenic good arsenic successful smaller centres similar Red Deer.

While astir of Alberta's seats volition spell blue, the Liberals and NDP volition beryllium competing successful Edmonton for progressive seats, Pilon said. 

Pilon acknowledged Edmonton seems to beryllium an important place this election, but said those races are improbable to plaything the predetermination unless Monday turns into a choky contest.

The Conservatives predominate successful Alberta, helium said, but the Liberals thin to person an "efficient vote," winning seats crossed the country.

"Ultimately, the contention is won by however galore seats you win, not by however galore votes you get," helium said.