Mulcair becomes the hunted

With his party still ahead in Quebec but losing steam, Tom Mulcair was in unfamiliar territory for an NDP leader in a French- language debate — he was the one the others wanted a piece of.

In a debate that at times degenerated into inaudible shouting, Mulcair found himself on the defensive on a wide range of topics, including balanced budgets, taxes, a woman’s right to wear the niqab and whether a majority of 50 per cent plus one in a referendum is sufficient for Quebec to declare independence.

“It’s the same old song from the NDP,” Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said. “The budget will be balanced by raising taxes. That doesn’t balance the budget. It eliminates jobs.”

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Mulcair’s commitment to a balanced budget — unlike Trudeau’s own willingness to run deficits — would lead to “austerity” for Canadians. Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe implied Mulcair bent spending rules during the 1995 referendum campaign, a charge Mulcair vehemently rejected.

The evening may have left a few bruises, but Mulcair held his own and he can take consolation from the fact that the target on his forehead was a sign of NDP success.

This election is a far cry from 2008, when predecessor Jack Layton was a bystander in the French debate whose declarations of what he would do “as prime minister” were seen as adorable fantasy. Even in 2011, the NDP Orange Wave that would sweep Quebec was still a ripple at the time of the French debate and Layton’s boast that the NDP could govern was openly mocked.

Mulcair’s task Thursday was to remind Quebecers why they grew to dislike Harper’s Conservatives and to persuade them the NDP is the best hope for a change.

The niqab, a garment some Muslim women wear covering their entire face except for their eyes, has become a burning issue in Quebec and provoked one of the most heated exchanges of the debate. On the heels of last week’s Federal Court of Appeal decision that an Ontario woman is entitled to wear a niqab as she is sworn in as a citizen, a Leger Marketing poll published Wednesday asked respondents which event during the campaign had most influenced their voting intention. The No. 1 answer by far among Quebecers, chosen by 18 per cent, was niqabs at citizenship ceremonies. Nationally, only eight per cent of respondents chose it as the top issue.

Trudeau accused Harper and Duceppe of sowing fear and division.

“My position is clear. I believe that just as a man cannot impose his will on how a woman dresses, we shouldn’t have a state dictating how a woman cannot dress,” he said.

Duceppe said the majority of Quebecers oppose the niqab and framed his position as one of support for equality of the sexes.

Harper targeted Mulcair on the niqab, saying “Our position for a longtime has been that when you join the Canadian family, you should not hide your identity, and that is why we think new citizens should swear the oath with their face uncovered. Mr. Mulcair, I will never tell my young daughter that a woman should cover her face because she is a woman.”

Mr. Mulcair shot back: “Do not attack the woman. Attack the oppressor if you believe there is oppression.”

For Duceppe, the debate was a matter of political survival as he fights to raise the once- dominant Bloc into territory where it can hope to win seats.

Trudeau, whose support in Quebec is still concentrated among nonfrancophones, stood to gain just by letting his adversaries slug it out.

A Leger poll conducted from Monday to Wednesday this week gives the NDP 38 per cent support in Quebec, well ahead of the Liberals at 22 per cent, the Bloc at 20 per cent and the Conservatives at 18 per cent. But NDP support is down from 46% in August while all the other parties have gained. An Ekos poll conducted Sept. 17- 22 for La Presse also has the NDP down eight points from its previous poll at 33 per cent in Quebec. The Conservatives are at 24 per cent, the Liberals at 19 per cent and the Bloc 18 per cent.

Green party Leader Elizabeth May also took part in the debate, but her effectiveness was limited by her poor command of the language.