The federal election is underway and three of the four major party leaders are ready for the debates.
Sept. 12 marked the federal election’s first unofficial debate. Four podiums were set up, and only three leaders were present. Noticeably absent was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who chose to miss the first debate of the campaign for a Liberal rally in Edmonton.
This is not the only debate Trudeau plans to miss. So far, Trudeau has only committed to two out of five planned debates, and said he would be willing to do an additional French debate on TVA if the leaders and agree on a date. This limits the opportunities Canadians have to hear the prime minister defend his record on various issues.
Debate is an essential pillar of our democracy that brings civility to politics and helps people see new perspectives. Why is the prime minister limiting the opportunity for debate during the campaign?
When asked why he would not be attending the debate, Trudeau said in a statement: “An opportunity to get out across this country to speak with Canadians and listen to them and talk about how we are going to build a better future for everyone, and how we are going to choose a better future for everyone, is at the core of what this election is all about for me.”
Trudeau’s fluffy statement about connecting with voters doesn’t cut it. Canadians deserve answers, and Trudeau should be prepared to get on stage and defend his record. He needs to earn the trust of Canadians to govern for a second term.
During the first leader’s debate, several comments regarding his absence were made by the other leaders.
Scheer suggested Trudeau was afraid to get on stage with him and defend his record. Scheer’s words were, “If I were him, I’d be afraid of showing up as well. It’s too bad, but I think Canadians will read into that, a prime minister who is afraid of is his own record.”
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May took a more comical approach to pointing out the prime minister’s absence, by pretending to shake Trudeau’s hand at the empty podium. Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said, “His record is pretty abysmal, but that doesn’t mean he should give up on the debate.”
The second debate Trudeau also plans on skipping is primarily about foreign policy, where Trudeau hit some rough patches during his term dealing with China, India, and NAFTA negotiations.
Debate is vitally important to a healthy democracy, and federal party leaders should be taking opportunities they get to go on stage to share and their policies and ideas for Canada. If Trudeau does not see the debates as a positive opportunity, it begs the question: what is he afraid of?
File photo.
