What’s at stake for students? Mark Carney speaks at McMahon Stadium
By Holly Anghel, April 9 2025—
Hundreds of Calgarians packed the Red and White Club at McMahon Stadium Tuesday evening, eager to hear from Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney as he made a high-stakes pitch ahead of the April 28 federal election.
The crowd was notably diverse, with people of all ages, ethnicities and gender identities gathering to participate in the rally. The venue quickly reached capacity, with a large overflow crowd watching on screens from outside the club.
The event opened with a prayer from Tsuut’ina Nation’s Travis Meguinis, Woodland Cree First Nations Chief Isaac Laboucan-Avirom, and Blackfoot Elder Leonard Weasel Traveller.
Corey Hogan – the Liberal candidate for Calgary Confederation and Vice President of Communications and Community Engagement at the University of Calgary – kicked off the event with remarks followed by Lindsay Luhnau, the Liberal candidate for Calgary Centre. Both candidates emphasized the importance of voter turnout.
“Confederation is worth fighting for … if we show up, we’ll win!” said Hogan.
Luhnau then introduced Diana Fox Carney, a British-Canadian economist and spouse of Mark Carney.
“I’m here tonight to tell you a little bit more about someone that I know well, and that you are just beginning to get to know,” she said. “I realized that he was a man of uncommon conviction, integrity, values, and a deep belief in service to his country – this country … When faced with a challenge he hits the ground running.”
Carney has previously served as the governors for the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and the Bank of England during Brexit and early phases of the pandemic.
During his speech, Carney highlighted the Liberal Party’s achievements over the past three weeks, particularly the removal of the consumer carbon tax — an action already reflected in lower prices at the pump. Carney also pointed to middle-class tax cuts of up to $825 per year as a tangible benefit for Canadians. Looking ahead, he outlined his vision for strengthening Canada’s economy, pledging to implement free trade within the country by Canada Day this year.
“Last week, the US imposed massive tariffs on the world,” said Carney. “Our old relationship with the US is over … this is a tragedy, but it is the new reality … We will fight, we will protect and we will build.”
Carney centred Alberta in his speech, saying the province “will be at the heart of all these solutions”.
“I dream of a safe, kind, and clean Canada. Our children should be able to dream about a positive future. We can give our children the future they deserve,” while supporters cheered him on as he exited the stage.
Student issues and concerns
Following the rally, individual candidates spoke directly with supporters to address local concerns. In a brief interview, Corey Hogan addressed the growing financial pressures facing students, including rising tuition, housing costs and student debt.
“It starts with making sure we are looking at baseline affordability,” he said. “I have not heard anything from the party officially yet on this, but I am going to be a strong advocate for better student loans, better grants, better funding for graduate and undergraduate students and more paid research opportunities at the undergrad level.”
According to an Elections Canada report, 46.7 per cent of eligible youth voted in the 2021 general election. The University of Calgary Students’ Union launched its Get Out the Vote campaign to encourage student participation, sharing information on where and when to vote.
As attendees filtered out of the Red and White Club, reactions were mixed. Some supporters expressed a renewed sense of political engagement and optimism for change, while others felt that certain issues were ignored.
“I’m concerned about how this articulation of Canadian nationalism silences Indigenous Peoples”, said William Devine, a second-year Indigenous student in the History program at the University of Calgary. “Carney only mentioned Indigenous Peoples when it came to development and resource extraction. How is that any different than the Conservative’s current position of Indigenous Peoples?”
“As an Indigenous youth in Canada, it was refreshing to see Canadians come together in support of a common goal,” said Leilani Sharp Chan, a third-year Indigenous student in the Political Science program at the University of Calgary. “Sadly, our Prime Minister failed to acknowledge the importance of improving collaborative efforts with our first peoples.”
As the federal election approaches, events like this are prompting discussion among voters, including students and young people, who are expected to be a significant demographic in the upcoming vote.
Watch the event here.