Federal leaders' debate, as it happened
Recap the exchanges, analysis and fact checks as the six main party leaders faced off for the first time. More here.
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Tonight's blogging team
In addition to blow-by-blow updates and leader fact checks, you'll be getting real-time analysis from an all-star team of reporters, writers and hosts. Here's the lineup:- Vassy Kapelos, host, Power & Politics
- Chris Hall, host, The House
- Éric Grenier, polls analyst
- Jorge Barrera, reporter, Indigenous
- Janyce McGregor, senior reporter, politics
- Aaron Wherry, senior writer, politics
- Benjamin Blum, senior writer, news
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How is this different from past debates?
This is the first time federal election debates are being run using a debates commission.
In 2018, the Liberal government announced plans to set up this independent commission to standardize a transparent process of organizing leaders' debates.
The mandate of the resulting Leaders' Debate Commission, led by former governor general David Johnston, is to make the debates a more reliable and stable element of federal election campaigns and to ensure the debates are as accessible as possible on a variety of platforms.
Former governor general David Johnston (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press) -
So who is actually producing the debate?The debate's organization was set up by the commission but it will actually be produced by nine media outlets.They came together to form the Canadian Debate Production Partnership and won the contract to produce the English and French leaders’ debates this week.The Canadian Debate Production Partnership is made up of: CBC News, Radio-Canada, CTV News, Global News, Toronto Star and the Torstar chain, HuffPost Canada and HuffPost Québec, La Presse, Le Devoir and L'actualité.
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How were the leaders picked to participate?The commission decided parties had to meet at least two of three requirements to participate in the debates:
- Have a member in the House of Commons elected under their party's banner.
- Be running candidates in at least 90 per cent of all ridings.
- Have candidates who secured at least four per cent of the vote in the last election or have a legitimate chance of winning seats based on polling data and the discretion of the debate commissioner.
Initially, People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier did not qualify to participate in these debates, but after sending more information about his party's potentially competitive candidates, the commission changed its mind.
People's Party leader Maxime Bernier (Justin Tang/Canadian Press) -
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Jagmeet Singh arrivesAll six leaders taking part in tonight's debate have now arrived at the museum and are running through last minute preparations before the big debate.The NDP leader was the first to arrive, pulling up in his campaign bus, before heading into the museum with his wife.
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Elizabeth May flashes peaceThe Green Party leader showed up next with her hat-wearing husband. She flashed a peace sign to supporters before she went inside, perhaps a homage to this viral peace sign moment during one of the 2015 debates.
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I'll be watching a few things in tonight's debate — primarily when it looks like any of the leaders are trying to speak to targeted groups of voters. I laid out each of the key targets the leaders have in tonight's debate in my analysis from this morning. In short, Justin Trudeau has to woo uncommitted progressives, Andrew Scheer needs to shore up his Ontario numbers, Jagmeet Singh needs to make good on his improved personal numbers and Elizabeth May needs to keep those voters still backing her from drifting elsewhere.I'll also be keeping a close eye on Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois, and Maxime Bernier of the People's Party. By no means are they the ones with the most at stake, but they also happen to be two of the wildcards in this debate.Blanchet has little to lose — support for the Bloc among anglophones in Quebec is often in the (very) low single-digits — but that doesn't mean he can't have an impact. The other leaders will still have to engage with him and any strong moments will get as much play in French-language media as those of the other leaders. A strong performance could help his improving numbers in Quebec. A mistake or faux-pas and he will have to spend the next few days explaining himself.Bernier has perhaps even less to lose. The Poll Tracker has the PPC at two per cent. So, his numbers can hardly go anywhere but up from here and being treated as an equal with the other leaders give him the best opportunity he has had since he launched his party a year ago. He is not the strongest communicator in English — Thursday's French-language debate might be a better opportunity for him — but any vote he gains tonight is likely to come at the expense of Scheer's Conservatives. And in such a close race, they can't afford to lose a single one. -
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Good evening everyone!I was covering the Scheer campaign last week, and was there in person to watch last Wednesday's TVA (French network) debate unfold in Montreal. It will be interesting to compare that with the format and dynamics of tonight's event. Already I've seen one thing in common: the cheering sections outside the venue even feature some of the same handmade signs! -
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Very interesting to see Trudeau arrive with a prop. (The Liberal campaign platform book.) I talk to folks in the war rooms every morning when I start my early shift for World Report and News Network, and one of the things I heard from the Liberal camp this morning was that they wanted to contrast the fact that they had a full platform release a week ago, and the Conservatives still haven't come out with theirs, even though advance polls begin on Friday. Will Trudeau refer to that book in an attack on Scheer tonight? We'll see.
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Here's the list of moderators tonight
- Rosemary Barton, chief correspondent of political coverage and live specials, CBC News
- Susan Delacourt, Ottawa bureau chief, Toronto Star
- Dawna Friesen, national anchor, Global News
- Althia Raj, Ottawa bureau chief, HuffPost Canada
- Lisa LaFlamme, chief news anchor, CTV News
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Responses to first questionTrudeau: We need to make sure Canadians can succeed in a complex world and we've done that by investing in Canadians and by protecting the environment.Bernier: We put Canadians first, we must be able to fight for our country.Singh: I don't work for the rich and powerful, I work for the people. Mentions standing up to Trump, being different than current and past prime ministers.Scheer: Trudeau is "always wearing a mask," mentions the blackface scandal.May: Advocating for education initiatives for women and girls, support human rights worldwide.Blanchet: We would support someone with "real leadership."
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FACT CHECK
Claim: Blanchet has the Liberals used Quebec’s dairy farmers and supply management as a “bargaining chip” during the NAFTA negotiations.Verdict: True on dairy, false on porkCanada did make concessions around supply management, affecting dairy, eggs and poultry. Under the new deal, American dairy farmers will have have access to 3.59 per cent of Canada's dairy market. Trudeau has promised dairy farmers compensation.The Canadian Pork Council welcomed the new USMCA deal in a statement shortly after it was reached, calling it “great news.”“We look forward to a stabilized pork market that will allow pork producers in Canada, the United States and Mexico to support one another in producing high quality pork and contributing to growing the economy in their respective countries,” said CPC chairperson Rick Bergmann. -
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Scheer found himself under attack right out of the gate last Wednesday. Here tonight perhaps he's determined not to let that happen again. Not waiting - he uses his opening statement to start attacking Trudeau right away. That's what his advisers said he'd be focusing on doing tonight above all else: going after the Liberal leader, nevermind everyone else.
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LaFlamme asks Bernier about his past tweets, including when he called multiculturalism in Canada "a cult" and referred to teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg as "clearly mentally unstable." LaFlamme ask whether these are the words of someone who might lead Canada on the world stage.
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FACT CHECK
Claim: Bernier has said 49 per cent of Canadians want less immigration.Verdict: Mostly true - but depends on whose numbers you believe.An Ipsos poll from August 2018 did find that 49 per cent of Canadians surveyed wanted to see the federal government's 2018 target of 310,000 immigrants reduced.A more recent survey by Environics in April 2019 found only 35 per cent of those surveyed believe immigration levels are too high, while 59 per cent did not believe they were too high. But a Leger poll in June 2019 found 63 per cent of respondents believe the government should prioritize limiting immigration. -
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Joining a little late here. I will be following the tone and broad themes of the debate and if this first segment on leadership on the world stage is any indication it's going to be lively and personal.People's Party leader Maxime Bernier the first leader to defend his views on immigration, multiculturalism and his claim to be the only leader who will put Canada's interests first. -
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Trudeau: "Bernier says publicly what Mr. Scheer thinks privately."Right away we see a "hidden agenda"-style attack line from Trudeau. It's a tested and true offence we've seen Liberals use against the Conservative Party in the past - Trudeau running it again here in his first significant intervention tonight.
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Some background here: Ontario and Saskatchewan courts have sided with Ottawa on setting a minimum price on greenhouse gas emissions.The Supreme Court of Canada is set to hear an appeal from the Saskatchewan government on Dec. 5. The Ontario government has also appealed to the Supreme Court.
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FACT CHECK
Claim: Trudeau says "Canada is on track to reduce our emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 compared with 2005 levels."Verdict: MisleadingHis own government reports seem to undermine the claim. The key issue is that the Liberals are taking into account projections and policies that are not yet fully implemented. Read the full article here. -
Singh asks his first question of the debate to Trudeau. According to a recent Léger poll, 31 per cent of Liberal voters rank the NDP as their second choice, more than any other party, and 42 per cent of New Democratic voters rank the Liberals as their second choice. Again, more than any other party. They are fighting over a lot of the same voters.
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Singh's very effective at using his sense of humour on this stage. For someone who needs to introduce himself to Canadians who aren't familiar with him, it's likely an asset to have the confidence to be able to joke in a genial way one second, and attack sharply the next.
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As we shift to the next topic, it's worth noting the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde is tweeting about the debate.Notes that the Conservatives are outliers on their plans for the Canada-Indigenous relationship: "All parties, minus the Conservatives, have shared with us what they plan to do if elected in advance of their platform being released."
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First takeaway as we shift into this next topic: Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer will focus their answers tonight on each other whether it's on climate change or health care.An example: In response to a question from NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, the Liberal leader responds by focusing on what the past government did on climate change... and immediately pivots to argue the Conservatives will undo everything that's been accomplished over his time in government.
