Countdown to byelection results has begun, as voters from ridings University-Rosedale, Scarborough Southwest, and Terrebonne cast their ballots.
This evening’s results could make governing easier, as Liberals are projected to take two out of the three ridings.
NDP Leader Avi Lewis hosted his first press conference on Parliament Hill today, spearheading food affordability as his main policy.
The solution? Calling on Carney to put a national ban on surveillance pricing.
Lewis, along with the six NDP caucus members, announced the party will be zeroing in on the cost-of-living policies in light of rising grocery and rent prices.
Surveillance pricing, a practice already being examined in Manitoba, happens when companies take users’ data, browsing habits or location to tailor what consumers see and what they’re willing to pay.
“We know that the rise in the cost of living, especially food prices, is already untenable for so many Canadians, and now grocery giants and other retailers are teaming up with big tech to squeeze people even more,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the Liberals will only move on AI regulation once public outrage reaches a tipping point.
The Liberals may be widely expected to walk away from Monday’s three byelections with a clear majority, but the pressure is still on for them to fight for the hotly contested Terrebonne riding.
Sunday marked the final day of campaigning before the parties rev up their get-out-the-vote efforts. The Liberals have been pulling out all the stops to hold onto the Montreal suburb in Quebec after winning it by a single vote last year, then seeing that result nullified by the courts.
Political analyst Philippe Fournier of the polling aggregator site 338Canada said holding onto the riding would give the governing party a boost and show they still have momentum after the last election.
But if Carney’s Liberals lose Terrebonne to the Bloc Québécois, that would send a signal that they are “not so invincible” and the Bloc could be starting to rebound.