Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has launched his election campaign by proposing to cut income tax to the tune of $14-billion annually.

Speaking in Brampton Ontario, Poilievre announced that he plans to lower the tax rate in the lowest income bracket to 12.75 per cent from the current 15 per cent rate.

According to Poilievre, that could translate to $900 in savings annually for the average worker, and about $1,800 to the average family.

Poilievre also addressed the threats made to Canadian sovereignty by U.S. President Donald Trump, urging voters to “reject a fourth Liberal term and elect a new Conservative government that puts Canada first, so that we can cut taxes for our workers, cut waste, bureaucracy, consultants, foreign aid, reduce the cost of government, and unleash our resources in this country, so that we can become strong, self-reliant, sovereign, and stand on our own two feet as we stand up to the Americans with strength.”

Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Mark Carney, speaking in the historic international airport lounge in Gander, says his approach to tax cuts differs from the Conservatives in fundamental ways.

Carney says in order to afford the tax cuts Poilievre is promising, he will have to cut programs now in place. Carney claims that Poilievre will eliminate $10 a day child care, dental care, and pharmacare, and still won’t have enough to pay for his tax cuts. “It’s an everyone for themselves approach, versus ‘we’re all in this together.'”

Meanwhile, federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh put his focus on housing today.

Speaking in Montreal, Singh promised to use crown land to build over 100,000 affordable homes over the next decade.

The federal leadership debates are set with the French debate on April 16th and the English debate on April 17th.