Federal leaders spar on climate change, reconciliation, and COVID-19 recovery in final televised debate

Eleven days before the election, with polls showing a razor-thin margin between the leading Conservatives and incumbent Liberals, party leaders sparred with oft-heard talking points over the Grits' decision to call an election, and the government’s record over the last six years. The debate, taking place across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill at the Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., was the final time the federal leaders will take the stage across from their rivals. There have already been two debates, both in French, which haven’t led to a great shift in polling for the two leading parties. Most polls have the Liberals and Conservatives within striking distance of each other. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives for the English-language debate on Sept. 9. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia Heading into the English debate, which kicked off at 9 p.m. on Sept. 9 the Tories had edged ahead with 33.5 per cent to the Liberals’ 31.6 per cent, according to CBC’s Poll Tracker. That lead is well within the margin of error, but just a few weeks before when the election started the governing Liberals were ahead by six percentage points, sitting at 35 points. The NDP has stayed static, starting the 36-day contest at 19.3 per cent, and now sit at 20 per cent. Party leaders criticized Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) over calling an election amid an unfolding crisis in Afghanistan.“You put your own political interests ahead of the well-being of thousands of people,” Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole (Durham, Ont.) told Mr. Trudeau. “Leadership is about putting others first, not yourself. Mr. Trudeau you should have not called this election. You should have got the job done in Afghanistan.” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.) said the United States telegraphed its exit from Afghanistan, and the unfolding crisis was a tragedy that Canada knew was coming. “It was a bad decision to call this election when we knew what was going on,” he said. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh arrives at the Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., for the English-language debate on Sept. 9. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia Mr. Trudeau defended his election call, noting that during the debate Canadians will hear “very different and very strong ideas” about the future of Canada and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Those decisions are going to be taken by the government now, in the coming weeks, this fall. Not in a year from now or two years from now,” he said. The prime minister accused the other party leaders of “talking down the incredible work” of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian foreign service. Mr. Trudeau came under attack from the other four leaders—including Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, Que.) and Green Party Leader Annamie Paul—on the government’s performance on climate change and reconciliation. Mr. Singh, when asked how he would implement a national approach that best recognized the significant regional issues involved in fighting climate change, said “better is possible, we can invest in a clean economy, we can end fossil fuel subsidies, we can make sure we are creating clean transportation, and we can invest in provinces and territories to make sure they have the resources necessary to fight the climate crisis.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole spar during the English-language debate. Screengrab courtesy of CPAC Mr. O’Toole, who leads a party that was dogged by questions over its climate change platform during the 2019 election campaign, acknowledged the party had to “win back some trust” during the debate. “We haven’t met the expectations of Canadians on climate change. It’s an important issue for me as a father of a high-schooler and we talk about it all the time,” said Mr. O’Toole, who cited his party’s plan released in April earlier this year which he said has a “substantial package” for pricing carbon to meet Canada’s Paris targets. When the leaders were asked how they would convince the Canadians who don’t believe in climate change and Mr. Trudeau quipped that Mr. O’Toole couldn’t even convince his party. At the Conservative convention, party delegates rejected adding the words “climate change is real” to the policy book Mr. Singh summed up the first exchange between the Conservative and Liberal leaders as each fighting over who is worse. “You’re not stuck with these two. Better is possible,” Mr. Singh said in his appeal to voters. The leaders attacked Mr. Trudeau for not moving quickly enough to address reconciliation, for breaking a promise to lift boil water advisories on reserve, and for not implementing the calls to action laid out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, pictured during the English-language debate on Sept. 9. Screengrab courtesy of CPAC “This is an issue where we have to act,” Mr. O’Toole said. “We can no longer say we recognize the calls to action. We need a plan to achieve them.” He said “good intentions” are not enough, there also has to be a “good plan,” that he said a Conservative government could deliver. Ms. Paul said the parties have to make space for Indigenous leadership. “We know what needs to be done. The recommendations are there and the calls for justice in the Missing and Murdered report and we still don’t have the action,” she said, noting the work needs to be forwarded by those like former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and former NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq. “We need to make space for Indigenous leadership to guide the process. And above all we need to make this a priority and all that is left is political will.” As evidence of Mr. Trudeau's failure to support Indigenous leaders and women, Mr. Singh, Mr. O’Toole, and Ms. Paul repeatedly deployed the name of Ms. Wilson-Raybould, who is not running for re-election after serving two years as an Independent MP. Mr. Trudeau said his government is committed to reconciliation, and said "cynicism" should not get in the way of recognizing the progress that has been achieved under the Liberals. He noted the Liberal government called the inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and co-developed the action plan to address the crisis. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet look on during the English-language debate. Screengrab courtesy of CPAC Mr. Blanchet was questioned on what he would do to address systemic racism in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, to which he remarked that he recognized the existence of systemic racism in June 2020. He said afterward it became “a political tool” against Quebec, and said the discussion was better suited off the stage. Ms. Paul said she had to “pull up” her dropped jaw when she heard his response. “I invited him to get educated on systemic racism and I extend the invitation again. I would be happy to educate him.” Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, pictured during the English-language debate on Sept. 9. Screengrab courtesy of CPAC In the post-debate scrum, Mr. Blanchet agreed there was “tension” with Ms. Paul, but took issue with the format of the debate, the questions posed, and moderator Shachi Kurl, who is president of Angus Reid Institute. During the debate, he said there was “aggression and attacking of Quebec,” and described the first question he faced as “racist.” He was asked why supported what Ms. Kurl called Quebec’s ”discriminatory” secularism law, which was adopted in 2019 and prohibits some public sector workers from wearing religious symbols. Affordability a ‘serious crisis’ hitting Canada, says O’Toole Janet Falla, a senior citizen working part-time in Burlington, Ont., said she “never imagined that I would have to keep on working, but I have to to afford to live where I do.” During a section on affordability, she asked what the leaders would do to help people like her. Mr. Blanchet said that “for many months now,” he has been calling for the federal government to provide more money on a monthly basis to his province’s elderly people. “We want something to be done, and it has to start with a monthly cheque seriously increased.” Mr. O’Toole called affordability a “serious crisis hitting our country” and hitting Canada’s seniors the hardest, saying that the Conservatives would double the Canada Worker’s Benefit and give people a “break with the GST holiday” in December, a platform promise he unveiled days into the campaign. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured during the English-language debate on Sept. 9. Screengrab courtesy of CPAC Mr. Trudeau acknowledged the extra costs and the isolation associated with the pandemic that many seniors have faced, saying “we need longer-term supports.” “We’re also moving forward with increasing the OAS for all seniors over 75 because we recognize the costs continue to increase as you get older,” said Mr. Trudeau. “We will continue to have your back as we have through this pandemic and into the future.” Mr. Singh countered by saying seniors “shouldn’t have had to work” and that “we should make sure our seniors are able to retire with dignity.” “You’ve got the supports necessary to live a life of dignity, so what we are proposing to do is put in place a guaranteed income for seniors so they can live with dignity and not have to worry about paying the bills,” said Mr. Singh. “That’s a starting point.” Green Party Leader Annamie Paul arrives at the Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., for the English-language debate on Sept. 9. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia For the Green Party, Ms. Paul said that “this is an opportunity for us to learn these lessons from the pandemic” and “get to the roots causes,” citing what she perceives as a “consensus-building around a guaranteed livable income.” The debate wrapped up with a fractious segment on the recovery from COVID-19, with each party leader outlining how they are best positioned to pave the way for Canada’s efforts to emerge from the pandemic. Mr. Singh accused the Conservatives and Liberals of competing to see who is going to cut spending support first. Mr. O’Toole said there is a need to “wind down” spending programs while keeping cases low. Mr. Trudeau said the debate has shown the “extreme differences between the parties.” Ms. Paul said benefits should continue until the pandemic is over, noting that it is “unfortunate” Canada finds itself in the middle of an election as it has to return to addressing the pandemic in a “co-operative way.” mlapointe@hilltimes.com nmoss@hilltimes.com The Hill Times UPDATE: This article was updated on Sept. 10, 2021, to add comments from the leaders during the debate and in the post-debate scrums.

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Federal leaders spar on climate change, reconciliation, and COVID-19 recovery in final televised debate

For the second night, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced repeated attacks from party leaders for his move to trigger an election in the midst of the pandemic, and as the fourth wave picks up.

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