Liberals Win Federal Election: What it means for animals

April 29, 2025
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A pair of beavers *(Castor canadensis)* in a pond.
*Photo by Tony LePrieur/Getty Images*

By Jeffrey Phillips

On April 28, 2025, Canadians went to the polls for a pivotal federal election. The Liberal Party won a fourth mandate to form government. Under PM Carney, the Liberals will likely form a minority government (there are currently some recounts underway in tight races). At the time of writing, the Liberals have 169 seats, three short of the 172 required for a majority. The Conservative Party will form the official opposition with 144 seats. Both the NDP (with 7 seats) and the Bloc Québécois (with 22 seats) saw significant losses and now over 90% of the seats in the House of Commons are held by Liberals or Conservatives.

What is a Minority Government?

What does a minority government mean? It means the Liberals will have to cooperate and partner with other political parties in the House of Commons in order to pass major legislative initiatives.

What This Means for Animal Protection

What does this election mean for our national fur farming campaign? The Liberal Party platform Canada Strong is based on four themes: unite, secure, protect, and build. Key focus areas include strengthening Canada’s economy, addressing threats from the United States, bolstering defence, and housing and affordability.

Although action on fur farming is not included in the platform, the Liberals did commit to stopping illegal wildlife trade across Canada’s borders using modern digital solutions. The platform also mentions support for Indigenous-led conservation initiatives to protect wildlife and the environment.

Additionally, Prime Minister Mark Carney posted a video on Instagram on April 20 featuring him meeting a young girl named Karen and responding to her request to protect animals, stating it is “exactly the right thing to do.” Let’s hope that Karen’s message sticks with the Liberal government in the months ahead!

Also, several Members of Parliament who have championed animal protection policies in the past will be returning to Parliament, such as Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (who previously introduced a bill to ban fur farming) and Green Party Co-Leader and MP Elizabeth May.

Moving Forward

Thanks to all of you for voting with animals in mind in this Federal election. Now is a great time to reach out to your Member of Parliament and tell them about the issues that matter to you. If you are not sure who your MP is, check out the Parliament of Canada’s Find Members of Parliament search tool that makes it easy to search by postal code.

Disclaimer: The Fur-Bearers is a non-partisan charitable organization with a mission to protect fur-bearing animals through conservation, advocacy, research, and education. We are committed to working with all federal parties to strengthen protections for fur-bearing animals and we do not endorse any particular political party or candidate.

About Jeffrey Phillips

Jeff Phillips is the Managing Director of Dawson Strategic and a fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He is an expert in sustainability policy and works with a range of environmental and animal organizations.

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