Five major party leaders went head-to-head Thursday night at the final debate of the election campaign, challenging their opponents’ character and the sincerity of their election commitments.
The event, held at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., was mostly civil but occasionally chaotic as candidates and moderators jockeyed to have the last word.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau faced a torrent of attacks by the other leaders as he defended his government’s reconciliation and climate change efforts. His decision to call a snap election during a pandemic and while a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Afghanistan was also heavily criticized.
The final debate came as earlier polling from Postmedia-Leger showed the Liberals and Conservatives were tied in support at 33 per cent each among decided voters. The NDP had support from 21 per cent of decided voters, the Bloc Québécois had 6 per cent of support and the Green Party had 3 per cent of support.
Trudeau criticized for his leadership and snap election call
From the start, Trudeau was put on the defensive by Green Party Leader Annamie Paul and Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, who each criticized Trudeau’s character.
During a question on how the government has handled sexual misconduct in the military, Paul said Trudeau was not a “real feminist” and further criticized him for expelling Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal caucus during the SNC-Lavalin affair.
“A feminist doesn’t continue to push strong women out of his party when they are just seeking to serve,” Paul said.
Paul, who has been caught up in fierce party infighting that led to a Green MP defecting to the Liberals, was quickly rebuked by Trudeau.
“I won’t take lessons on caucus management from you,” Trudeau responded.
Soon afterwards, O’Toole attacked Trudeau for calling a snap election and leaving thousands stranded in Afghanistan. O’Toole said Trudeau was putting his political interest over the well-being of thousands of people.
“Leadership is about putting others first, not yourself, Mr. Trudeau. You should not have called this election, you should have gotten the job done in Afghanistan,” O’Toole said.
Leaders clash over climate plan commitments and feasibility
Leaders spent time justifying their climate change plans and raising doubts about their opponents’ commitments to battling a climate crisis.
In response to a question on convincing Canadians who don’t believe climate change is caused by human activity, Trudeau said O’Toole’s climate plan is weak because his party has yet to acknowledge the issue.
“You ask about how we’re going to convince a quarter of Canadians that climate change is real, well, Mr. O’Toole can’t even convince his party that climate change is real,” Trudeau said, referring to a Conservative policy convention which struck down a motion that affirmed the existence of climate change.
O’Toole acknowledged earlier in the debate that climate change is an area where Conservatives had to win back trust, which was why he unveiled a carbon-pricing plan back in April.
Trudeau also sparred with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh over the feasibility and sincerity of their parties’ climate plans. Singh said Trudeau had six years to meaningfully tackle climate change but failed, adding that Canada has the worst G7 record on climate change.
Canada is the only G7 country whose greenhouse gas emissions have risen since the Paris climate agreement was signed in 2015.
According to government data, Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions have risen from 707 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2016 to 730 megatonnes in 2019, which is the most recent data available.
“Let’s talk about the cost — the cost of inaction is the entire town of Lytton being wiped out by a climate forest fire,” Singh said.
Trudeau retorted by highlighting that experts ranked the Liberal climate plan higher than the NDP plan. An analysis by Mark Jaccard, a professor and economist at Simon Fraser University, said the Liberal plan is the most effective and least costly plan. The Conservative and Green plans were ranked second and third respectively. The NDP plan was ranked last for its unaffordability.
“How is it that the experts that have rated our plan on climate to be an A, have rated your plan to be an F?” Trudeau asked Singh.
Paul, whose party has designated climate change and a green economy as a key element of its platform, emphasized the need to come together across party lines to “seize the greatest economic opportunity of our lifetimes.”
Leaders acknowledge Canada’s failed attempts at reconciliation
On reconciliation and Indigenous issues, which have become prominent national topics since children’s remains were uncovered at various former residential school sites, leaders acknowledged the need to build stronger relationships with Indigenous communities but continued to argue with each other about the sincerity of their commitments.
Trudeau said that over the past 150 years, Canada has failed in its relationship with Indigenous peoples. He highlighted his government’s reconciliation efforts in repairing First Nations schools and lifting 109 drinking water advisories. Fifty-two long-term advisories are still in effect.
Singh clashed with Trudeau, saying the Liberal leader has not acted on calls to justice, referencing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry findings.
“You can’t take a knee one day when you’re going to take Indigenous kids to court the next,” Singh added, which Trudeau dismissed as untrue.
The government is currently in court fighting two Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings. One ruling requires the government to compensate Indigenous children who faced discrimination with $40,000 each. The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and the Assembly of First Nations argued the systemic underfunding of Indigenous child services has a direct link to the disproportionate number of Indigenous children in foster care.
During the open debate, Trudeau turned his attention to O’Toole’s proposal to raise flags that were lowered to half-mast to acknowledge the remains of 215 children uncovered at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C.
“[O’Toole] didn’t talk to or listen to any Indigenous leaders when he made that decision, and that’s something that’s important and symbolic and wouldn’t cost a cent,” Trudeau said.
O’Toole said that if elected Prime Minister, he would raise the flag on Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation “with a commitment to move forward on calls to action.”
“You can be proud of your country as you strive to make it better,” O’Toole said.
Secularism in Quebec
Moderator Melissa Ridgen of APTN News asked a direct question to Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet about the existence of systemic racism in Quebec and what he would do as Bloc leader to address systemic racism in Quebec and in Canada.
Blanchet said Quebec was called “racist and xenophobic” after it acknowledged systemic racism, adding the acknowledgement became a “political tool” against the province.
At the start of the debate, Blanchet bristled at a question about his support for Bill 21, which bars some civil servants from wearing religious symbols at work. Moderator Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, asked Blanchet why the Bloc supports discriminatory laws like Bill 21.
Blanchet said the laws are not about discrimination but instead the values of Quebec.
“You may repeat as many times as you like that those are discriminatory laws,” Blanchet said. “We are saying that those are legitimate laws that apply on Quebec territory and there seems to be people around me who share this point of view.”
In response, Paul said she would be happy to educate Blanchet on systemic discrimination.
Blanchet interjected but was quickly dismissed by Paul for taking up her speaking time. When Blanchet said Paul had insulted him, the Green leader disagreed.
“That was not an insult, that was an invitation to educate yourself,” Paul said.
The debate served as the final major campaign event. The election campaign period is now winding down, with election day on Sept. 20. Advance polls are now open and will close on Sept. 13. Mail-in voting is available so long as a kit is requested before Sept. 14.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
