The Conservatives, NDP, and Greens share their $$$ plans April 25, 2025 Sign Up | View online IN THIS ISSUE 8 min read Welcome to another very special edition of TLDR! On Tuesday, we published our big election breakdown, wherein we did our best to summarize 289 pages of economic plans in just 976 words. We’re glad many of you found the guide helpful (and only a few of you seemed really mad!). This week, we went straight to the candidates to ask them to explain in their own words how they will meet one of the most pivotal economic moments in memory. Not every party responded to our invitation, but representatives of three major parties found time to speak with us. And we’re delighted they did, because we want our readers to be as informed as possible about where each party stands. Below, after our weekly markets recap, you can find our interviews with Pierre Poilievre (CPC), Peter Julian (NDP), and Jonathan Pedneault (Green). From left: Pierre Poilievre, Peter Julian, and Jonathan Pedneault. | Wealthsimple THE WEEK IN MARKETS Is it just us or is all this market whiplash getting old? Usually, major newspapers relegate their markets coverage to an obscure tab on their websites or bury it deep in their paper-and-ink product. This week it was all front page! Global stocks kicked off Monday with, pardon the turn of phrase, a big ole puke, falling by as much as 3%, after President Donald Trump reiterated his commitment to tariffing China. Adding to investors’ nausea, Trump upped his threats to axe Fed Chair Jerome Powell — who is supposed to enjoy independence in setting monetary policy — if Powell didn’t lower interest rates to offset some of the pain caused by Trump’s erratic tariff rollout. Then on Tuesday, Trump blinked (again) by signalling that he’d de-escalate the U.S.’s trade war with China (China disagrees that anything of consequence has changed) and maybe not fire Powell after all (at least not now). Markets reversed fast on the news, putting the S&P 500 up 3.4% and the TSX up 2.5% from Monday through Thursday’s close. But investors are clearly getting sick of America’s bumpy ride. The VIX — Wall Street’s “fear gauge” — suggests investors are betting stock prices could wobble by a whopping 5% to 8% this month, which is roughly twice the median risk level of the past decade. So, if you’re hoping for a smooth ride ahead, maybe look somewhere beyond the States. THE BIG IMPORTANT STORY ELECTION 2025 We Asked Three Party Representatives Our Most Pressing Money Questions Pierre Poilievre, Conservative Leader, on Big Tax Cuts and Investing in Canada Click the photo to listen to the interview, or you can read a transcript here. Peter Julian, NDP House Leader, on Canada’s Trade Relationships and Affordability Woes Click the photo to listen to the interview, or you can read a transcript here. Jonathan Pedneault, Green Party Co-Leader, on Public Housing and Canada’s Place in the World Click the photo to listen to the interview, or you can read a transcript here. FROM OUR SPONSOR THE FOMO INDEX by Stacey Woods IMPORTANT 🐟 DDT is still found in “alarming” rates in New Brunswick trout. On the bright side, they still don’t have malaria. Source 💉 New poll suggests misinformation about measles is spreading in the U.S., and science is years away from a vaccine-skeptic vaccine. Source 🤖 Saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT costs the company millions, says Sam Altman. “Let’s kill it with kindness,” says humanity. Source ✈️ Air Canada ordered to pay passengers $10M in class action lawsuit. Should go a long way toward those new carry-on fees. Source CRASH & BURN TO THE MOON 📽️ Oscars says members must now watch all nominated films before voting. Can’t just copy off Martin Scorsese’s ballot. Source 🥗 Science thinks it’s figured out why people hate vegans, and it’s not entirely because of Tofurky jerky. Source 🚴 Judge says Toronto bike lanes can stay for now. Cyclists may continue getting honked, yelled at in them until further notice. Source ✒️ Letter reveals Shakespeare didn’t leave his wife. It was more of a conscious uncouplet. Source WHO CARES OTHER VERY GOOD READS 🤍 The Sandwich Generation Canadians caring for kids and aging parents. | Maisonneuve 🧳 Trump’s Loss, Toronto’s Gain Academics and luminaries are moving north. | Toronto Life 📞 When We Were Kings* An oral history of the rise and fall of Nortel. | The Globe and Mail *Article is paywalled, which, yeah, is kind of annoying. But we think good journalism is worth paying for. THOUGHTS ON TODAY’S ISSUE? Love it Good So so Correction: In Tuesday’s edition, we mistakenly referred to GST as a general sales tax, not the goods and services tax. Apologies for the error! We have no excuse, other than election coverage melting our brains. This week’s newsletter contributors: Claire Porter Robbins (writer), Ben Mathis-Lilley (writer), Devin Gordon (writer), Stacey Woods (writer), Sarah Rieger (news writer), Ambrose Martos (fact checker), Ciara Rickard (copy editor), Clare Douglas (copy editor), Sara Black McCulloch (fact checker), Mohini Tailor (lifecycle marketing manager), Eva Grace Clement Cruz (editorial producer), Matthew Karasz (markets editor) Jared Sullivan (senior editor), Peter Martin (senior editor), and Devin Friedman (editor-in-chief). Wealthsimple Media Inc. 80 Spadina Ave Suite 400 Toronto, ON, M5V 2J4 VIEW IN BROWSER PRIVACY POLICY UNSUBSCRIBE * From March 28 to April 30, 2025. New or existing Wealthsimple account users who make a qualifying deposit into a Bond account, may qualify for a Rebate of the Management Fee on qualifying new deposits for ninety (90) days from the date of the first eligible deposit. Limit 1 Rebate per client. 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