At the start of the federal election campaign, The Discourse asked readers what issues are top of mind for them and what they want local candidates to address before casting their vote on April 28, 2025.
As of writing, we received 151 responses from Cowichan Valley Community members identifying the top issues they are concerned about this election.
U.S. / Canada relations, environment, health care, homelessness and social supports and housing are the top five categories readers indicated they’d like to hear more about from candidates..
Our relationship with the U.S., Canadian sovereignty and tariffs came up as the number one issue of concern for many respondents with some touching on the need for unity in their responses.
One respondent writes: “Are you prepared to work together with whomever is elected in government, across the board, to agree on ways to protect Canada from the current geopolitical situation without making cuts to critical social programmes and healthcare, (which includes dental care and its expansion)?”
“What specific measures can you take as a party and an individual MP to rapidly reduce or eliminate provincial tariffs and increase inter-provincial trade?” another says.
Others point out the cascading effects of climate change and the need for environmental protection.
“Do you care about the environment and the future our children will be forced to live in? Everything else depends on it, so how will you do what you can to make sure they have the future we had? No amount of money will put food on the table if it is too hot to grow it,” asks one reader.
Respondents also submitted questions for candidates related to housing.
“How will you protect seniors and youth at risk of homelessness?” one respondent asks.
Many readers want to know how the government will address cost of living and the affordability crisis.
“The basic necessities in life have become so expensive and out of reach for far too many Canadians, specifically housing, food security and appropriate and timely health care. How will your party address this so that Canadians can thrive?”
Some respondents are curious about a wide variety of issues, submitting a handful of questions for candidates.
“Will you acknowledge that there are more than just two genders and support equal rights for everyone? Will you ensure that people with addictions and mental health issues get the care and support they need? Will you find a way to enforce the reduction of greenhouse gasses?”
The Discourse asked readers to choose the topics they want us and candidates to address. They could pick multiple options from a list of 11 topics and provide their own as well. Here’s a breakdown of topics from the most to least votes:
- U.S. Canada Relations (106/151 responses)
- Environment (91/151 responses)
- Health care (82/151 responses)
- Homelessness / Social support (82/151 responses)
- Housing (68/151 responses)
- Affordability (67/151 responses)
- Food security (64/151 responses)
- Reconciliation (56/151 responses)
- Economy (54/151 responses)
- Crime / social disorder (35/151)
Seventy per cent of respondents want to know how the next government plans to navigate an ongoing trade war with the U.S. and protect Canadian sovereignty. While readers indicated protecting Canada’s economy is important, some also note that balancing economic growth with action to safeguard the environment is important, aligning with environment being the second-most selected issues from the list of 11.
What’s next?
The federal election is on Monday, April 28, 2025 and advanced voting begins on April 18. The Cowichan Valley is mostly encompassed by the Cowichan—Malahat—Langford riding.
The Discourse is reaching out to candidates for responses to questions on U.S. / Canada relations, the environment, health care, homelessness/social supports and housing. Questions sent to candidates are formulated using questions directly from community members that were shared in the survey.
To get answers to your election questions, including where and how to vote, what riding you live in and who’s running for office, head over to our Cowichan Valley voter guide.
