Summa Debate Analysis: September 8 French-Language Debate

Last night, the leaders of the 5 major political parties faced off in the Debate Commission’s French language debate. This was the last major platform for the leaders to speak to a large Francophone audience before the September 20th election. Green Party Leader Annamie Paul participated in her first debate of the campaign; the leader of the People’s Party of Canada Maxime Bernier did not meet the criteria to participate in the debate.

The five themes of the debate were: (1) cost of living and public finances; (2) environment; (3) justice and foreign affairs; (4) pandemic and health; and (5) Indigenous peoples, identity and culture.

It was generally a civilized debate – some might even say boring – with no major ‘jabs’ or ‘knockouts’. Here are the highlights:

Topic 1 – Pandemic and Health: Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was asked to provide an explanation for his decision to call an election in the middle of a fourth wave of COVID-19. He was criticized by all leaders for his lack of judgment in calling the election after only two years of his minority government. 

Topic 2 – Cost of Living: The cost of child care made the rounds during the debate. Trudeau was able to win some political points over O’Toole by pointing out that the Conservatives plan to eliminate the $10 a day child care plan if elected. 

Topic 3 – The Environment: Green Party leader Annamie Paul missed her chance to really score any points on her platform during this section of the debate. To liven up the conversation, the moderator asked the leaders to compare their overall goals for reducing greenhouse gases to meet the Paris Accord agreement.

Green Party – 60% reduction
NDP – 50% reduction
Bloc Québécois – 50% reduction
Liberal – 40% reduction
Conservative – 30% reduction

Topic 4 – Identity and Culture: It was in this section of the debate that we saw the most spirited exchange between two leaders. Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet squared off against Justin Trudeau, as they argued which one of them could better represent Quebec’s interests. Justin Trudeau was visibly animated during the exchange, declaring himself a proud Quebecer and forcefully reminding the Bloc that it does not have a monopoly on the interests of Quebecers.

Topic 5 – Justice and Foreign Affairs: Conservative leader Erin O’Toole was challenged on his shifting position on gun control, while Trudeau was questioned on his effectiveness in influencing his American counterpart Joe Biden on border issues. 

What’s next?

Like the previous TVA debate, the event last night is unlikely to be a turning point in the outcome of the election campaign. There were no significant winners or losers and the tone was rather monotonous and largely lacked passion. Many observers pointed to the overly structured format, which seemed to limit direct engagement between leaders compared to the TVA debate.

Tonight, the leaders will face each other one final time in the only English debate of the campaign. This is their last opportunity to connect with voters on the national stage and try to move the needle in the polls, which are currently statistically tied between the Liberals and the Conservatives. With only two weeks left before the election, time is running out and the leaders will need to make an impact tonight if they want to shift momentum in the home stretch of the campaign. Tune in at 9:00 pm Eastern, and don’t forget to watch for our analysis in your inbox tomorrow morning.