The Partisan webinar “Canadian Election Political Tech Review” explored the role of digital campaigning in shaping the surprise outcome of Canada’s recent federal election, in which the Liberal Party secured an unexpected win. The discussion featured three experts directly connected to Canadian campaigns—Tyler Michaels, Senior Consultant at Electica; Helen Sabatine, Head of Partnerships at Qomon; and Sean Wiltshire, Director at Data Sciences—and highlighted how data-driven strategies, mobilisation tools, and new technologies influenced both the message and mechanics of this pivotal race.

Data-driven campaigning: fundraising and mobilisation

Sean Wiltshire provided insights into how Canadian campaigns have increasingly professionalised their digital operations, particularly in the areas of fundraising and supporter mobilisation. Drawing from his experience at Data Sciences, Wiltshire explained how campaigns relied on segmentation and analytics to optimise outreach.

“Canadian campaigns have historically invested in strong voter databases,” he noted. “But what’s new is the scale at which data is now used to drive real-time decisions—whether adjusting fundraising appeals, targeting volunteers, or rebalancing ad spend across constituencies.”z

Grassroots energy meets digital tools

Helen Sabatine highlighted how campaigns combined grassroots energy with digital mobilisation platforms like Qomon. By lowering barriers for participation, digital tools allowed local teams to connect volunteers with specific tasks, from door-to-door canvassing to peer-to-peer texting.

“The winning campaigns didn’t just use technology as a broadcast tool,” Sabatine said. “They used it to empower supporters, making people feel part of something bigger than themselves.”

This approach was particularly important in a context where trust in political institutions is fragile, and where personalised, relational engagement often outperforms top-down messaging.

Paid ads and persuasion strategies

Tyler Michaels drew attention to the changing landscape of paid digital advertising. While Meta platforms remained a staple, campaigns experimented with programmatic ads, YouTube, and even newer platforms to reach harder-to-engage voters.

Michaels emphasised that persuasion, not just mobilisation, was key in this election. “The Liberal win shows that targeted persuasion campaigns can still move the needle—especially when backed by strong creative testing and rapid iteration,” he argued.

At the same time, he noted that Canadian regulators and platforms continue to enforce stricter transparency standards than in some other democracies, shaping how far campaigns can go in their micro-targeting efforts.

The role of AI: promise and restraint

All three speakers addressed the role of AI in Canadian campaigning. Unlike some democracies where generative AI tools are being rapidly deployed, Canadian campaigns have so far taken a more cautious approach, mindful of electoral integrity and public trust.

Wiltshire noted that while AI was used for efficiency—such as drafting volunteer scripts or analysing sentiment—it was not central to voter-facing operations. Sabatine added that campaigns that invested in training their teams on digital tools saw the greatest returns, even without heavy reliance on AI.

👉 The Canadian 2025 federal election shows how political technology is evolving in a democracy known for both innovation and caution. While data-driven strategies, mobilisation platforms, and digital persuasion proved decisive, the restrained use of AI underlines Canada’s distinctive approach to safeguarding electoral integrity.