Who wins on April 28? Read More
Surprisingly absent from the debate was major focus on U.S. President Donald Trump. His offences were just one of many themes
Surprisingly absent from the debate was major focus on U.S. President Donald Trump. His offences were just one of many themes
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Who wins on April 28?
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Haven’t a clue, frankly — even less so after watching four hours of leaders debating in French and then English.
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, it seems to me, didn’t do himself any harm during the big English event Thursday evening. He came across as more genial and, let’s say it, human than he does in the many TV attack ads.
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Poilievre has been putting on this new face for a few days now, after party criticism that he presents as too harsh.
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Liberal Leader and PM Mark Carney impressed by staying calm and showing little sign of annoyance.
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He was accused of every political sin, including corruption through his past association with mega-firm Brookfield Asset Management, but took it all in stride and answered the questions.
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When Poilievre tried to link him to former PM Justin Trudeau’s record, Carney said “I know it may be difficult, Mr. Poilievre — you spent years running against Justin Trudeau and the carbon tax and they’re both gone, okay, they’re both gone.”
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“I’m a very different person from Justin Trudeau.”
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Poilievre scored points of his own. He stuck to his main themes on justice, crime and affordability, expressing them with less reliance on his standard buzzwords.
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Carney rejected Poilievre’s plan for invoking the notwithstanding clause to jail mass murders for life.
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But Carney and the other leaders sounded much like Poilievre when they ardently condemned drugs and crime. Even NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said “horrible crimes deserve horrible sentences.”
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Singh’s constant shouted interruptions got very annoying, to the point that complaints erupted on social media. His desperation was obvious.
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Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet was his usual provocative self, by far the most entertaining of this crew.
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He shouted “intrusion, intrusion, intrusion” when the other leaders talked about Quebec, sounding much like Alberta Premier Danielle Smith with five o’clock shadow.
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If there’s a minority Parliament, brace yourself to know Blanchet better. The NDP will have too few seats to matter and the Bloc could hold the balance of power.
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The debates demonstrated how little Alberta or the Prairies matter in a national election.
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Alberta was only mentioned once on Thursday, when Blanchet said to Carney and Poilievre: “I’m sorry to crash your party guys, but clean oil and gas is a fairy tale.”
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Carney and Poilievre both gave their versions of pipeline promises. Blanchet said Quebec would never accept “such monstrosities.”