FEW SPARKS IN DEBATE
French event mostly muted
• With less than two weeks before election day and an increasingly tight race between parties, Canada's political leaders had a largely flat debate Wednesday, where each participant mostly served viewers pre-packaged lines on hot-button issues such as the deficits, the environment, health care and Indigenous policy.
One of the few lively clashes occurred between Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Bloc Québécois Leader YvesFrançois Blanchet, not on a substantive policy issue, but rather on if Trudeau was Quebecer or not.
“You do not have a monopoly over Quebec,” Trudeau said to Blanchet, nearly yelling. “You don't get to accuse me of not being Quebecer enough.”
On stage with Trudeau and Blanchet during the debate Wednesday night were Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party of Canada Leader Annamie Paul.
The Peoples' party's Maxime Bernier did not meet the independent commission's criteria for participation.
The debate was moderated covered five themes: climate, cost of living and public finances, Indigenous peoples, cultural industries and cultural identity, justice and foreign policy, and pandemic and health care
“I'm sorry Mr. Trudeau, but this is an undesired election,” moderator Patrice Roy said to begin the debate, following up with a question to leaders on if they'd respect a four-year mandate regardless of the outcome (minority or majority) of the Sept. 20 election.
Trudeau did not answer the question, but O'Toole, Singh, Paul and Blanchet each in vague terms seemed to say they would.
“The fact that we are in an election is a consequence of the fact that people are not looking to work together, that things have become hyper partisan,” Paul said.
Just like during the first debate last week, Trudeau was repeatedly grilled by opposition leaders about his decision to call a “selfish” election, a question that already seemed to annoy him just minutes into the debate.
“Viewers can see how deep the differences are in our positions as to how the pandemic should be handled,” Trudeau retorqued at one point. “Canadians should have a say in that.
In addition to moderators Patrice Roy and Noémi Mercier, four francophone reporters were also chosen to quiz the leaders during rapid-fire question periods which were praised on social media for not pulling any punches.
For example, political analyst Hélène Buzzetti asked O'Toole, whose party released its platform costing just before the debate, how he would balance the budget and reduce deficits. “Is it the `O'Toole magic,' ” she asked after the first half of his response.
O'Toole disagreed while repeating once again that he “has a plan.”
Shortly after, she grilled Singh on his plan to fill the government's coffers by taxing the rich and multinational companies. How will you do it, she asked, is it “magic thinking?” Singh also disagreed, reiterating his promise to go after the ultra-wealthy.
The first leaders' faceoff was between Singh and Paul on mandatory vaccination policy. Both leaders agreed that it was important to push for vaccination, but Paul dodged a question on whether she supports mandatory vaccination.
Eventually, the moderator asked Trudeau if by pushing people to get vaccinated more, he wasn't pushing some to rebel further and avoid vaccination. Trudeau said it was a “false debate” and that it was time to get people vaccinated to return to normal life.
The moderator then asked Trudeau how much Canada paid for all our vaccines, which Trudeau once again avoided. “We paid competitive prices, but for competitive reasons, I cannot tell you,” he said.
On the topic of labour shortages that are rampant across the country, leaders were divided on solutions, where O'Toole and Blanchet argued that COVID-19 benefits like the Canada Recovery Benefit needed to be phased out. Singh, Trudeau and Paul disagreed, with the latter challenging others to replace those benefits with universal basic income.
Just like in last week's debate on TVA, O'Toole face some difficult moment when he was criticized by both Trudeau and Blanchet for his plan to replace the Liberal's bilateral agreements with most provinces to fund $10 per day daycare spots with a tax credit directly to parents.
Trudeau accused O'Toole of “not even understanding” Quebec's daycare system, noting that low-income Quebecers “don't even pay for daycare.”
To open questions on Indigenous issues, leaders were asked if they would make First Nations' languages as well as Inuit and Metis as official languages of Canada. Most leaders skirted the question all the while emphasizing the importance of conserving those languages and making sure their speakers can use them when accessing government services.
YOU DON'T GET
TO ACCUSE ME OF NOT
BEING QUEBECER
ENOUGH.