Learn English with Justin Trudeau, Erin O'Toole, Yves-Francois Blanchet, Jagmeet Singh, and Annamie Paul for the Greens. The debate was held in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.
00:13:59.000I think, first of all, I want to thank Canadians for being here tonight,
00:14:02.700making an important choice, and also, quite frankly,
00:14:05.620for everything you've done over the past number of months
00:14:08.320to help get ourselves and our neighbours through this.
00:14:11.740Tonight, over the next couple of hours,
00:14:13.320you're going to hear some very, very different, very strong ideas
00:14:16.880that are radically different about how we're going to move forward
00:14:20.720through this pandemic to end it how we're going to build back better those decisions are going
00:14:26.380to be taken by your government now in the coming weeks this fall not a year from now not two years
00:14:32.180from now could it not have waited a few months mr trudeau i know you want to go harder and faster
00:14:36.980on vaccinations i know you want to go harder and faster on climate change and you get to choose
00:14:41.560exactly that in this election all right that's time thank you mr blanchette to you
00:14:46.560You deny that Quebec has problems with racism, yet you defend legislation such as Bills 96 and 21, which marginalize religious minorities, Anglophones and Allophones.
00:15:00.100Quebec is recognized as a distinct society, but for those outside the province, please help them understand why your party also supports these discriminatory laws.
00:15:11.440The question seems to imply the answer you want.
00:15:16.340Those laws are not about discrimination.
00:21:40.040It's a piece of luck that we can produce green energy in a large amount.
00:21:44.680But the whole planet cannot afford this idea, this very Canadian idea, this very conservative idea,
00:21:51.420and as far as I know, this very liberal idea that we have to produce more oil, export more oil,
00:21:57.380believing that the money from it will reduce gas emission, which won't happen.
00:22:02.460All Canadian families deserve an economic recovery, including families in Western Canada that feel left out after six years of Mr. Trudeau.
00:22:10.380When it comes to leadership, our natural resources sector is a leader in environmental, social governance.
00:22:16.960Anytime Canadian resources are removed from the global supply chain, you know who fills that gap?
00:27:46.760As a former diplomat and with a husband who provided advice on the peace negotiations in Afghanistan,
00:27:55.300we were hearing the stories all the time in the months leading up that this was foreseeable.
00:28:01.120And so it seems like we got better information on our smartphones
00:28:03.880than Mr. Trudeau got from our entire intelligence service based on what he's saying.
00:28:08.560The thing is that when people count on you, when you make a promise to them,
00:28:14.020then you do it so that people can count on Canada's word.
00:28:17.680When someone is your partner, you go with them, you go for them, or you don't amount to much.
00:28:22.800And so leaving behind people in Afghanistan, rocking up to Rideau Hall and calling an election under these circumstances was not the right thing to do.
00:28:30.720And to borrow a line from Mr. Singh from 2019, Mr. Tudoka, just say, hey, man, I messed up.
00:28:35.240All right, Ms. Paul, thank you very much.
00:28:37.440Thank you all. And now it is our time for a first attempt at open debate.
00:28:43.400Jumping off of this question, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been in Chinese prisons for 1004 days.
00:28:53.820The next prime minister has key decisions to make about our already tense relationship with China,
00:29:00.420such as telecommunications security and foreign investment.
00:29:03.620Some say this all comes down to a trade-off between Canada's economic growth and recognition of human rights.
00:29:10.620I'd like to know where you all stand. I'm sure you want to exchange on that.
00:29:14.320Mr. Singh, per the draw you begin, leaders, you may jump in.
00:29:19.500We know that we can't imagine what it is for Mr. Spavor and Mr. Kovrig to be going through a thousand plus days in a prison without access to human rights.
00:29:29.820I can't imagine what their friends and their families are going through right now.
00:29:33.100All I know is we have to do everything possible to secure the release of these two Canadians.
00:29:37.960We need to work with our allies, apply pressure, and make sure that we return these Canadians home.1.00
00:29:44.140And that's exactly what we've been doing.
00:29:46.180Over the past three years, we have worked with international allies to put pressure on China in every single one of their meetings.
00:29:52.540We've worked closely with the United States.
00:29:54.760We at the G7 a few weeks ago worked with the international community to make sure we're moving forward on challenging China where necessary and human rights, competing with them economically where we need to and holding them to account on the rule of law as a global community.
00:30:10.960And Canada's voice has been very strong on that.
00:30:14.320Canada's voice has been absent, Mr. Trudeau.
00:30:16.780We have not worked with our allies on Huawei.
00:30:19.560We have not stood up for the 300,000 Canadians in Hong Kong.0.94
00:30:23.640We've not fought for the two Michaels and put pressure on the communist regime.
00:30:28.900We have not stood up for human rights.
00:30:30.660Sir, you did not show up for a vote declaring a genocide towards the Uyghur people.
00:30:43.560We should be leaders for our values, sir.
00:30:46.460And you've let the Michaels down, and we have to get serious with China.0.96
00:30:49.980If you want to let the Michaels and get the Michaels home, you do not simply lob tomatoes across the Pacific.
00:30:56.820That is what Mr. Harper tried for a number of years and didn't get anywhere.
00:31:00.260You need to engage in a sophisticated way with our allies every step of the way.
00:31:05.040You have to take the same position on Huawei.
00:31:06.800And that's exactly what we have done every step of the time.
00:31:10.080On cyber security, Mr. Trudeau, we are out of step and our allies are wondering where Canada's gone.
00:31:16.800You started as Prime Minister saying you admired China.
00:31:19.340i could uh i'm coming to you miss paul just a second i want to get to mr singh and then to you
00:31:25.020miss paul i appreciate thank you very much uh the opportunity i want to also talk we're talking
00:31:28.700about leadership and accountability and in this pandemic one of the moments i think of leadership
00:31:32.540that has been a failure is the fact that uh when we talk about leadership it means finding solutions
00:31:37.820and in our long-term care homes here in canada we saw the worst conditions we're going to have
00:31:43.420time to chat with that later the topic is china human rights and economic growth to you miss paul
00:31:49.260Yes, and this is an area where certainly lines are being redrawn all across the world.
00:31:55.520And the main thing that Canada is going to have going forward in terms of currency is its word.
00:32:02.200When we make a promise, we have to keep those promises.
00:32:05.700That's how when we need help, we get it.
00:32:08.180You know, my mom grew up on a farm in a small community,
00:32:10.900and she learned very young and taught us that you have to give your word to your neighbors
00:32:15.100and they have to be able to count on it so that when you need help, they're there for you.
00:32:19.260And so when we don't show up when we're asked for vaccines from COVAX and then we take vaccines from COVAX, when the Uyghur ask us for help to declare a genocide and we don't do that, when we don't show up on the climate by setting targets that are ambitious but at the same time in line with our international partners and do our fair share, then our word doesn't count for much and then it makes it very hard for us to help people like the Michaels when they need us the most.
00:32:46.300Mr. Blanchet, did you want to get in on this?
00:32:47.800Curing tomatoes might not be the solution,
00:32:50.480but I would submit humbly that doing nothing might not be the solution either.
00:32:55.160The minister of Trader's record on human rights is not perfect.
00:40:11.460We have a plan to meet our Paris targets, but minimize the impact on jobs and investment.
00:40:17.360We're also going to make major investments in electric vehicles, in the hydrogen economy, small modular reactors.
00:40:25.280There is so much we can do to get our emissions down, but grow a strong economy, because without a strong economy, we can't tackle climate change.
00:40:34.200The reality that Mr. O'Toole has never understood is you can't have a strong economy unless you tackle climate change.
00:40:41.340And you ask about how we're going to convince the quarter of Canadians who still don't think climate change is real.
00:40:46.280Well, Mr. O'Toole can't even convince his party that climate change is real because they voted against that.
00:40:51.260And that's perhaps why his plan is so weak.
00:40:53.780His plan is to go back to the Harper targets, to the Harper approach on fighting climate change, which doesn't work.
00:40:59.320His costed platform, which he just put out last night, cuts $2 billion from climate investments and from things.
00:41:07.120And for our friends in B.C., Mr. O'Toole has proposed to restore the northern gateway pipeline to the Great Bear Forest and the tanker bank.
00:50:21.620that what happens next is really up to you we can keep moving towards a mirage and that is what these
00:50:27.860promises are a mirage that's just out there in the distance that we never arrive at or you can send
00:50:33.300people back to ottawa from every single party who are committed to working together across party
00:50:39.140lines on the greatest existential challenge of our time and seizing the opportunity of a truly green
00:50:45.380recovery. Mr. Singh, you accuse the Trudeau government of being all talk and no action when
00:50:53.160it comes to climate change, and yet you won't even give Canadians a straight answer on whether
00:50:57.620or not you would cancel the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. You've had years as NDP
00:51:02.760leader to develop a climate plan. Your platform has lots of big ideas and big targets, but almost
00:51:08.680no details on how you would get there. Don't you owe Canadians a clear answer on your climate
00:51:14.260roadmap and will you provide one tonight absolutely and i'm honored to do so we've got a bold plan
00:51:19.700that's going to take a lot of courage that requires lots of investment because we know
00:51:23.940how serious this crisis is and we know what we're up against unlike mr trudeau we're not going to
00:51:28.660blame previous governments we know that in power we have the power to make a change and if we vote
00:51:34.580for the same things we're going to get the same results so i want canadians to know you have a
00:51:38.180choice we are committed to ending sir we'll lay some of it out one of it is to end fossil fuel
00:51:43.220subsidies, use that to invest in clean energy. We would make sure we prioritize investing in
00:51:48.820electrified transportation. We would invest in retrofitting homes and buildings to reduce our
00:51:53.400emissions. There is so much that we can do. We are confident we can do it. But there is a cost
00:51:58.440if we continue down the same path of conservative or liberals who don't take this seriously. You
00:52:03.780have a choice. All right. Thank you. Now it is time for open debate. Mercedes is going to keep
00:52:12.160you leaders on theme. I'm going to keep you on time and make sure everyone has a chance to be
00:52:16.780heard. Ms. Paul, we're starting with you. Back to you, Mercedes. Thank you. Canadians want their
00:52:23.840government to fight climate change, but they also worry about the cost for their families,
00:52:28.980and we know there will be a cost to this. Why should Canadians trust your party to see us
00:52:35.060through this? There is a global green rush going on now to create the competitive green economy
00:52:43.640of the future. What the greens don't want to see is Canada being left behind because that is exactly
00:52:50.720what's happening. You know I'm sure that the last candle maker was the person that had the market
00:52:56.980cornered on candle making but if everyone has moved on to LED lights then you're in trouble
00:53:01.640And so what we want to see is us seizing this opportunity.
00:53:04.940And Mercedes, to your earlier question, if Denmark and Greenland, other cold countries, can end oil exploration, then certainly we can do it.
00:53:12.280And if 27 countries in the European Union can come together collaboratively to have an ambitious plan for the climate, then surely with leadership we can do the same here in Canada.
00:53:22.780I know Canada can do anything that any other country can do.
00:53:26.960Absolutely. I think we absolutely can.
00:53:28.800If any type of energy is removed from the global market, Canadian energy, it's replaced by a bad actor country that doesn't have carbon reduction programs, it doesn't have human rights, it doesn't have engagement with Indigenous communities.0.95
00:53:43.300Indigenous partnerships in natural resources is huge.
00:56:07.220Mr. Singh, thank you very much, Mr. Trudeau.
00:56:10.320He cannot explain why his plan is being panned by experts.
00:56:17.380Every politician up here says we have the best plan.
00:56:20.140We actually have a record and what Mercedes' question was, how do we make sure it's affordable?
00:56:25.700We brought in a price on pollution across the country that puts more money back in the pockets in the provinces where it had to be imposed because conservative politicians fought against it every step of the way.
00:56:37.660Ms. Paul, with the greatest of respect, I think the five PhDs in our shadow cabinet who put together our green recovery policy would disagree with you.
00:56:50.140the experts but i do want to say more generally that again this is getting us nowhere we have got
00:56:56.920to be able to come together across party lines not only to face the existential crisis that
00:57:03.840mr singh described but also to seize the greatest economic opportunity that canada has seen within
00:57:10.040our lifetimes we are being left behind and if the united states can do it if the european unit can
00:57:15.720do it i know that we can do it it's about a change in the culture all right thank you miss paul mr
00:57:21.060blanchette did you want to get in that i'm quite behind everybody else and i have 12 seconds left
00:57:27.160take i will disagree with the basic statement there's possibility to create more wealth to
00:57:33.660absorb the cost of the changes that we need we must stop opposing environment and creating wealth
00:57:41.940it may go together well this is the change that we have to do thank you sir thank you mercedes
00:57:49.520and now leaders we are moving on to our next theme reconciliation
00:57:54.060now we are going to our first time voter merrick mcleod in sault st marie he's got a question to
00:58:07.640all the leaders. Merrick, you're 18 years old. You're a first-time voter. What is your question
00:58:12.500to the leaders? Go ahead, Merrick. The leaders are listening. Ani Bojo. In the Ojibwe culture,0.99
00:58:21.940trust and respect is key to any relationship. Oh, shoot. You got it, Merrick. Keep going.
00:58:30.720How can I trust and respect the federal government after 150-plus years of lies and abuse to my
00:58:36.140people and as prime minister what will you do to rebuild the trust between first nations
00:58:41.180and the federal government thank you merrick leaders you've heard the question how do you
00:58:47.900respond to merrick mr trudeau you start this round thank you merrick for your question you're
00:58:53.500absolutely right over the past 150 years canada has failed in its relationship with indigenous
00:59:00.300peoples people who we should be working with and shared stewardship of the land working with
00:59:05.900in partnership as we draw from the bounty and the beauty of this land to build a better future for
00:59:11.020all that is why over the past six years we have stepped up on the path of reconciliation we have
00:59:17.340ended boil water advisories in 109 different communities we have made sure that tens of
00:59:23.660thousands of young people get to go to school in better classrooms we continue to move forward on
00:59:29.580fighting uh the the missing fighting for the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls
00:59:34.380and ensuring a true partnership as we move forward in respect.
01:32:02.480We have got to learn the lessons of the pandemic and make sure that we have a social safety net in place that lets everyone live with dignity.
01:32:09.800when we invest in our people we are investing in our future and this is the time for us to do that
01:32:16.180it costs us not to do it over the past year and a half i made a straightforward promise to
01:32:21.560canadians that we would have your backs and that's what we did during this pandemic we were there to
01:32:26.640support people but at the same time we need to continue that that's why we put forward a ten
01:32:31.220dollar a day child care proposal that will save the average family in toronto close to ten
01:32:36.440$1,000 more than Mr. O'Toole's approach on target, which he would cancel. We also put forward a
01:32:43.580national housing plan that will invest $4 billion to work with municipalities to create 1.4 million
01:32:51.880homes. Mr. O'Toole's plan on housing gives half a billion dollars on breaks to the wealthiest
01:33:04.860landlords and nothing for building new houses.
01:33:08.160The housing crisis has gotten worse under Mr. Trudeau.
01:35:48.780It's about helping all families now, not in five years helping some.
01:35:53.080And our plan would help lower-income families with up to 75% of the cost.
01:35:58.960Our plan will also help that nurse on shift schedules that has jobs in the evening that needs flexibility.1.00
01:36:06.100What we want to do is help all families get ahead and provide more support for the lower income.
01:36:09.580But if the nurse can't find a spot, Mr. O'Toole, what does she do?
01:36:12.320If the nurse can't find a spot, what does she do with her children?1.00
01:36:15.040This gives her as much flexibility as possible.
01:36:16.640If there's not one in her suburban community, there is no space in five years under Mr. Trudeau's program.
01:36:23.220We want to give families the tools to make the best decision for the position they're in now,
01:36:28.280to have ability to help them in their circumstances.
01:36:31.860Our plan will be immediate. It will help all Canadian families.
01:36:35.840Mr. Singh, you're promising to tackle skyrocketing housing prices.
01:36:39.260One of the ways is with that 20% tax on the sale of homes to foreign buyers.
01:36:43.560Two-thirds of Canadian families actually own a home already.
01:36:46.640If you're successful at cooling the housing market, that would mean that people who have invested their life savings in their homes may not have it anymore.
01:36:56.000They're relying on that for their retirement.
01:39:59.920We have seen you, particularly in these recent months, willing to spend billions of dollars on programs that matter to your government.
01:40:07.320Daycare would be another example of that.
01:40:09.400Why is there no money in your platform or in your most recent budget for a national pharmacare program?
01:40:15.700Is it no longer a priority, and should you not just tell Canadians that, sir?
01:40:19.420No, it continues to be a priority because, indeed, no one should have to choose between paying for groceries and medications.
01:40:25.580On health investments, we were all focused on COVID-19 and supporting the provinces and making sure that on that, we were giving the support we needed so we could have Canadians' backs.
01:40:37.100But at the same time, we worked with a number of different jurisdictions, and we've actually signed with Prince Edward Island a national universal pharmacare first step.
01:40:48.720You've signed one deal, sir, but there's nothing in your platform in terms of costing.
01:40:53.540I understand the pandemic kept you busy.
01:41:31.780So, Monsieur Blanchet, what is one policy change that you think would make the biggest difference to Canadians or Quebecers, in your case, in terms of their cost of living?
01:41:41.120The one change that you would like to see that would help them the most?
01:41:44.520Cost of living, that's quite interesting because that's a worry that we have.
01:41:48.260We believe that the most important thing is changing the way we create wealth.
01:41:55.560We believe that transforming our own resources, natural resources with our own clean energy in our regions of Québec will create more wealth.
01:42:06.600This wealth will come from an environmental, I will get this word, environmental preoccupation as well.
01:42:15.840and we will do that and we should be entitled to do that with our part of the money that is being
01:42:21.520sent again and again in oil and gas there's one thing there's one thing i want to add even if
01:42:28.240it's not exactly i don't know if there's time eventually not really but quickly quickly quickly
01:42:33.360i will take a few of those seconds yes will we have some seconds to speak about french-speaking
01:42:38.160communities and acadians well not in this section this is about cost of living sir
01:45:33.360he announces things and never delivers that mr trudeau a prime minister has to deliver on the
01:45:39.320word not just fancy words to make promises a plan to get there by the way mr o'toole i won't uh take
01:45:46.780lessons from you on making promises and not following up when we you're beholden to the gun
01:45:51.940lobby we're holding to anti-vaxxers you're beholden to remember this is affordability and
01:45:57.180mr trudeau i'm sorry we're out of time now sir responding to people can i answer rosie's
01:46:01.620question directly you have five seconds sir we were able to lift a million people out of poverty
01:46:06.980and create a million jobs at the same time with the right kinds of investments over the past five
01:46:11.780years and mr trudeau i have to i'm sorry sir i have to wrap you right there because it is now
01:46:16.840time for our next theme on covid recovery rosie thank you so much thank you very much thanks
01:46:22.420okay from saskatchewan ethan herman is standing by in saskatoon he's an undecided voter and he
01:46:36.160wants to hear from you about covid recovery hey ethan go ahead
01:46:40.660hey good evening leaders my question is this
01:46:46.340coming out of this pandemic how are you if elected as prime minister going to unify and drive
01:46:53.540Canada forward with respect to health care jobs in the economy and ensuring a higher quality of
01:46:59.140life is achievable for all Canadians regardless of race color creed or sexual orientation
01:47:05.180all right leaders you've heard from Ethan Mr. O'Toole you're up first
01:47:09.200thank you Mr. Herman that is exactly why I launched Canada's recovery plan on the first
01:47:14.420day of the campaign. We're going to create a million jobs in one year. We're going to clean up
01:47:18.840the accountability mess in Ottawa. We're going to have national leadership on mental health. We're
01:47:23.740going to be more ready for a pandemic and we're going to get our finances under control. I want
01:47:27.740to get people working. I want to give families a break and since the moment I became Conservative
01:47:33.340Leader, I've been reaching out. Whatever your background, your faith, your colour, your sexual
01:47:38.320orientation, whether you're Indigenous, whether you're a new Canadian, you're important to Canada's
01:47:43.740recovery, and you're important to the Conservative Party, and I'd ask you to look at Canada's
01:47:48.800recovery plan. After these 18 months as a country, we need a plan and a leader that will actually
01:47:54.920deliver. Thank you, Ms. Paul. Thank you, Mr. Herman. And I swear I did not line up that question.
01:48:01.820He's not a ringer. But this really comes to the heart of the matter, which again,
01:48:06.440is about changing the culture of politics in Ottawa. We have heard from outgoing MPs in the
01:48:12.540last parliament how incredibly important that is that the culture has become toxic that has become
01:48:18.660hyper-partisan and you know there used to be a time I worked as an intern in a non-partisan way
01:48:24.920in the Ontario legislature you know you would make a fuss in question period and then you'd
01:48:29.740get to work across party lines and committees to find the solutions to help people in Canada
01:48:34.540and so we need less partisanship we need more diverse voices so that we can get the access
01:48:40.520to the best ideas in a more cooperative and collaborative way. Mr. Singh. Thank you. Mr.
01:48:46.240Herman, thank you for your question. And your question touched on a number of things. Healthcare
01:48:51.420is something very near and dear to my heart. And we've seen in this pandemic that our healthcare
01:48:55.700system simply hasn't been there. And it's not because of the pandemic. A lot of these problems
01:49:00.500were there from before. So our commitment is to invest in our healthcare system, to defend it.
01:49:05.300Unlike Mr. Trudeau and Mr. O'Toole, who believe in private long-term care delivery, we want to get
01:49:10.220out profit, get out the greed from the delivery of long-term care. We want to invest in pharmacare
01:49:16.140for all, not promise it in 2019, and then have zero dollars to commit towards it. We want to
01:49:21.420see everyone have access to medication. We want to include dental care into our healthcare system
01:49:25.960and mental health services. And to do all that, we want to make sure that the billionaires are
01:49:30.380paying their fair share so we can invest in you. Thank you, Mr. Singh. Mr. Trudeau.
01:49:34.660Ethan, I think the folks on this stage missed the very first part of your question, which is,
01:49:38.360you know once we get out of this pandemic and yes we have plans for being even more ambitious on
01:49:43.240climate change and making sure people get good jobs but we have to get out of this pandemic first
01:49:48.680and that's why the unequivocal leadership that we've shown as a government on making sure that
01:49:55.640everyone gets vaccinated is what's going to get us through we cannot rebuild the economy until we
01:50:02.600we get through this pandemic? And unfortunately, Mr. O'Toole, who says he wants to get all of
01:50:08.740Canada vaccinated to 90% in the coming two months, can't even convince his own candidates to get
01:50:15.840vaccinated to 90%. We have to get through this. We are unequivocal that vaccinations are the way
01:50:22.140to do it. Thank you, Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Blanchette. I think Mr. Trudeau forgot the second part of your
01:50:27.000question which is about health care let's be efficient health care is a jurisdiction of the
01:50:34.120provinces and quebec those are the territory the jurisdictions who should have the resources to do
01:50:41.640their job the promises of the conservatives is 3.5 percent of increase a year for the first three
01:50:49.320years which is very far from what the province has asked for and what the province has asked for is
01:50:56.280not even in the program of Mr Trudeau so it will be hard to be efficient if those who are responsible
01:51:03.000of health care do not have the resources which are owed to them thank you Mr Blanchet thanks
01:51:09.480Ethan for your question have a good night we're gonna let you go it is now time Ms Paul and Mr
01:51:16.200Singh to go face to face starting with Ms Paul and I want to talk about Canada's parallel pandemic
01:51:23.960the opioid crisis. Since it has taken hold, more than 20,000 Canadians have died, often in the
01:51:32.580shadows. This is an insidious killer that is tearing families apart. To both of you, starting
01:51:39.620with Ms. Paul, does the political will exist to confront it? We called many times during the last
01:51:47.400session of Parliament across party lines again for us to first recognize that this was a national
01:51:53.820health emergency and then to decriminalize a simple possession because we know we need to
01:52:00.280end the stigma and create a national safe supply program. We asked every party to do it because
01:52:06.10017 lives on average are being lost every day. We didn't hear anything from anyone and it comes back
01:52:11.900to Mr. Herman's question about unity. Can we not unify on something like this where it's clear what
01:52:17.940we need to do? If we can't do that then none of these other things are possible and so that's what
01:52:22.980We definitely need to respond to this crisis with everything we have.
01:52:27.540We've long called for it to be declared a national public health emergency.
01:52:31.820And what we know is the approach that has been taken for decades simply doesn't work.
01:52:38.260The approach of arresting someone, putting them through the criminal justice system, putting them in jail does not make communities safer and it doesn't help people.
01:52:47.520So we have been saying, and I believe very firmly,
01:52:49.900we need to provide health care responses to people that are dealing with addiction.
01:52:54.060We need to make sure we are doing everything we can to secure a safe supply.
01:52:57.560We need to look at the evidence and say really clearly,
01:53:01.000if there is any step we can take that will save lives, we've got to take it.
01:53:04.840So there's a lot to do, but does the political way exist to do it?
01:53:08.360That is exactly the question. Is there the political will?
01:53:12.760There doesn't seem to be because we need a national safe supply program.
01:53:15.720We wanted it before Parliament dissolved, and here we are, and lives will be lost in my writing of Toronto Centre, probably today because of it.
01:53:22.860All right, Ms. Paul, I have to wrap you there. It's good to hear, Mr. Singh, that it is at least coming from you.
01:53:28.060Mr. Trudeau, Mr. Blanchett, Mr. O'Toole, this round to you.
01:53:32.500Starting with Mr. Trudeau, during the pandemic, Canadians watched in horror the suffering of their most vulnerable and frail loved ones in long-term care.
01:53:45.200what if tomorrow you had to place a family member in a long-term care facility would you do it
01:53:53.700beginning with you mr trudeau mr otul mr blanchett you may jump in tomorrow is my mom's 73rd birthday
01:53:59.540so that is certainly something we're reflecting on but she's doing wonderfully right now we won't
01:54:03.960have to make that decision right now don't don't worry mom um the reality is we've heard from
01:54:08.360seniors across this country who have been uh tremendously worried with this pandemic and
01:54:12.460family members worried about that. We know that the conditions of work for the people who are in
01:54:17.760those long-term care homes are often dictating the conditions of care for seniors, which is why
01:54:23.040we propose to hire 50,000 new personal support workers working with the provinces with the
01:54:31.080money for that, also increasing the minimum salary to $25 an hour for people who care for our elders
01:54:37.820and most vulnerable. So if you had to put mom in long-term care, you would do it? I would make sure
01:54:42.140that, yes, that they are people who are properly well cared
01:54:45.120and that there is enough of a proportionate.
01:54:48.400And that's where we will work with the provinces
02:04:26.620That's a great question, Evan, because we didn't see the government adapt to the changing crisis.
02:04:32.120What we support and we all work together, the wage subsidy, the CERB, needed to be adapted as there were labour shortages in Quebec, as we can't find enough people for restaurants and service industry.
02:04:43.320We need to target the highly impacted sectors.
02:04:46.320That's what our plan, Canada's Recovery Plan, does.
02:04:48.820We get those service, tourism, restaurants back on their feet, get people working, and with keeping cases low, we can then wind down the other programs because we need to focus on work.
02:05:00.700We have a job boost that will actually incentivize the hiring of people that have been out of work for 10 months or more.
02:05:08.240Mr. O'Toole and Mr. Trudeau are jumping over each other about who is going to cut help to people first.
02:15:38.260They've never formed a federal government before,
02:15:40.400and so they can promise these pie-in-the-sky programs with no idea how to pay
02:15:46.100for them, whatever, other than quips like, we're going to tax billionaires.
02:15:49.140Well, there's very few billionaires in this country.
02:15:50.600they got a lot of money but at the same time that is just a quick design to appeal to their left-wing
02:15:56.760base of voters um i thought that the bloc quebec well lost a lot of credibility when he talked
02:16:03.320about uh i complained people about racism but at the same time he supports these uh religious
02:16:08.920restriction laws in in quebec which don't even satisfy a charter challenge they've got anything
02:16:13.720about the notwithstanding laws i would say o'toole had the nicest time uh but i would say that o'toole
02:16:19.720really is looking more and more like a polished leader uh trudeau was on the defensive the entire
02:16:26.360time and i really he starts to speak fast even as maybe as fast as i even speak but he felt i really
02:16:33.720felt that he feels the pressure here he's been down on the polls the last few weeks and uh he
02:16:40.600began this election it really reminds me of a couple of governments david peterson syndrome in
02:16:45.0801990 you call an early election and you end up losing we don't have a reason for this election
02:16:50.280all the other party leaders brought this up because that's clearly something on the minds
02:16:53.880of the canadian voter why are we going to an election we have an international crisis in
02:16:58.200afghanistan and on top of that we have a coveted pandemic here there was no need for this election1.00
02:17:05.640yeah i got to pick up on that that point there jonathan um there was i felt not a lot of real
02:17:12.840substance in in this uh debate tonight uh we talked about affordability but just the nature
02:17:18.680of the debate everyone ends up uh giving a few talking points and there's not a lot of
02:17:22.920uh real substantive the question is i give them credit uh for trying to nail them down on some
02:17:27.320specific topics but they all are used to um well there's a saying about question period in ottawa
02:17:34.600there's a reason why it's called question period not answer period so they're actually they're all
02:17:39.560very well practiced at avoiding, you know, anything substantive and being pinned down.
02:17:46.920But, you know, one of the things that, I mean, honestly, is a little bit near and dear to my
02:17:52.920heart that I think a lot of Canadians have really noticed over the past few weeks is just that
02:17:58.760tragedy in Afghanistan and what we see is unfolding with the Taliban coming back into power there.
02:18:04.600um you know canada and western canadians albertans wherever you are on the spectrum or however you
02:18:10.280feel about canada i think we do honestly share some real common values about who we are as a
02:18:15.940country our history uh how we are a country that uh a number of peoples who have come here to create
02:18:22.020better lives uh we share uh with the with each other willingly uh we want the best for people
02:18:29.380We are a beacon of hope. We've got a proud peacekeeping history as a nation. And yet we've got a government in this Trudeau government that had fair warning from our, you know, intelligence services and from partners around the world.
02:18:47.340And yet it was this government, Trudeau, who is still technically prime minister right now, who have the ability and the authority to save like literally hundreds of people's lives.
02:18:59.960Canadians, people who were wanting to emigrate from Afghanistan, people who have helped our Canadian forces and volunteers and contractors over in Afghanistan to help them create a better life as a democratic country and to provide opportunity for women and to provide education for people.
02:19:19.100And it's absolutely morally abhorrent that we have abandoned those the people in in Afghanistan that were, you know, standing in sewage ditches, trying to cling to landing gears on airplanes, trying to flee just what is an absolute tragedy.
02:19:36.540I mean, we saw today that, you know, sorry, Afghanistan, the Taliban, they appointed a, you know, a central banker whose profile picture has them holding a, you know, a big, huge weapon with no actually formal understanding.
02:19:52.800You know that country is going to, well, apparently it's a surprise to everyone except Trudeau what's going to be happening in that country.
02:19:59.280But the point being that that is, that points to the values of our leadership.
02:20:04.480what this election and what the the priorities of this um prime minister that we do have right
02:20:10.360now are all about and that needs to be held accountable so you know even if you're not um
02:20:18.020if you look at any like exclude everything else what what do we actually want in our leaders
02:20:24.660no matter where you are in canada right now that that is as much as anything else something that
02:29:09.940And we're still talking about having an early election.
02:29:12.380Justin Trudeau was not able to answer that.
02:29:13.960But otherwise, he seemed defensive, angry, both defensive and offensive, but flailing around, trying to land a punch because he's behind in polls.
02:29:27.480I mean, under the current vote, he probably quite possibly still continues as prime minister of a minority government.
02:29:34.020But I'd like to go to each of your thoughts about how Justin Trudeau in particular performed in the debate.
02:32:42.820This time, their campaign is in the toilet.
02:32:45.280They're chasing their tail the entire time.
02:32:47.140It reminds me of a government that I was a part of when many of us, including me, told the leader not to call an early election.
02:32:53.140And then I drove down from Edmonton. I had knocked on the doors of all the supporters and they said, why are you calling your election? You're chasing your tail the entire time. It's also very interesting, though, that Trudeau himself has lamented, you know, I might call another election in 18 months. Well, you know, why are we why are we doing this? There's no purpose for this election.
02:33:14.460The interesting time, though, I just want to address one other comment that you had made, Derek.
02:33:19.380In past elections, Conservatives had to be at least five points up because the vote is so consolidated.
02:33:25.640Alberta, Saskatchewan, a bit of Manitoba, Eastern B.C.
02:33:29.040This time, though, O'Toole's numbers are actually down a bit in Alberta.
02:33:36.340The other thing is that I've always believed that Conservatives have a higher voter turnout.
02:33:41.040they've had some of the best data the best voting machine the best get out the vote programs and i
02:33:47.200do think that conservative supporters are a little bit more motivated governments aren't elected
02:33:52.000they are unelected and in this particular instance the people that want trudeau gone are going to be
02:33:57.680more motivated to vote than the people that want to stay for a third term yeah uh okay let's turn
02:34:04.640towards conservative leader Aaron O'Toole. I mean, in the absence of having Bernier on stage,
02:34:11.200he got to look the conservative a bit. But I, you know, Justin Trudeau kept on repeating,
02:34:17.040I can't emphasize how big the differences are between us. You need to make the right choice.
02:34:21.200These parties are so different. And Aaron O'Toole's strategy seems very deliberately to be
02:34:28.160the polar opposite of that. Try to minimize the differences that, you know,
02:34:32.720So you can have essentially more or less the same government, but you can have a more competent and less corrupt and less narcissistic person leading it, trying to really play down those differences.
02:34:46.360I mean, the first question that went to Erin O'Toole from the moderator, which I specifically pointed out, essentially said, you know, you call these crackerjacks in your party homophobes and people who are climate conspiracy, climate theory conspiracist, her terms.
02:35:06.600um who's driving the bus and uh is it you or the caucus and erin o'toole uh said very pointedly
02:35:14.020i'm driving the bus saying forget those guys they're essentially an electoral college and
02:35:19.960he's not incorrect that's the way the system works right now the mbs the caucus have remarkably
02:35:24.100little power in our system of government right now so he wasn't lying when he said that but he
02:35:28.320was going to pains to say he is the conservative party now he's saying i am the new leader of the
02:35:33.500new conservative party trying to put a different coat of paint on things. He went to Payne's to
02:35:39.840talk about his, I'll use his terms, climate pricing, saying I am going to put a price
02:35:45.180on climate change, etc. He did not call it a carbon tax. He has never called his carbon tax
02:35:51.000a carbon tax. He didn't call it here, probably aware that calling it that is probably a bridge
02:35:55.940too far for supporters with his right flank already under significant fire from Bernier and
02:36:01.080PPC. What I really wanted to see, and we'll talk a little bit about Blanchet in a bit,
02:36:07.400he had one really great moment, and Blanchet promised he would do this in the French debate.
02:36:12.120In the French debate, apparently, because I don't speak it, Blanchet, O'Toole apparently
02:36:19.480said that there should be no pipelines through Quebec, and he apparently said that in French.
02:36:25.000um taking translations at their word for it here um and that night during the french debate
02:36:32.940blanchette said are you going to say that same sentence in english and uh tonight blanchette
02:36:42.160had quite a moment a moment and he said uh you know in the french debate you said there should
02:36:47.400be no pipelines in quebec will you repeat it right now in english uh o'toole did not reply
02:36:53.600He just kind of smiled, played with the button on his jacket, and that was that.
02:36:57.980The moderators let him go because it wasn't his turn to speak anyway,
02:37:00.620but he probably could have intervened if he wanted to.
02:37:03.140That was a very interesting moment for me.
02:37:07.320Blanchett was playing, again, I don't want to make this too much about Blanchett,
02:37:10.540but that stood out as a very weak point, probably the weakest point for O'Toole in the debate.
02:37:16.900That's kind of my summation, but why don't we go back to you, Jeff,
02:37:20.880about how you thought O'Toole did this evening.
02:37:23.600Yeah, you know, I don't, I didn't see any big moments. In fact, actually, if I actually had, I think the biggest moment of the debate was probably that Merrick fellow, the 18 year old kid who was asking about reconciliation.
02:37:41.080So it's never a good thing when you've got a regular 18-year-old kid citizen who at least in my mind had the high point in the debate and held the leaders to account.
02:37:55.020But, you know, I will just kind of go back to a more of an overall political strategy type of perspective for O'Toole.
02:38:02.560It's clearly they're running a different kind of a campaign versus the Shear campaign a couple of years ago.
02:38:08.000So, you know, they were running up the score in lots of constituencies or ridings where they were, you know, great.
02:38:14.900You went from 75% to 80% or 60% to 70%.
02:38:21.180But you got to go and win a bunch of those tough ridings in Ontario.
02:38:25.000So they've taken away all of the objections that have typically been thrown at the Conservative Party.
02:38:32.740I'll say these are politicians that we're talking about.
02:38:34.920So sometimes their promises don't always, aren't always followed through.
02:38:38.500I think that there is going to be, I am confident that the Conservative Party would definitely be much better than this Liberal government on a number of fronts as a government.
02:38:49.700That being said, I think it's also very clear we're going to be in a minority government.
02:38:52.880But at least you would get a much better government than what we're facing, what we're faced with today.
02:38:59.560So on items like, you know, kind of the flop, the flip flop that we saw from Motul, or if you want to call it a clarification, but probably more like a flip flop on on the gun issue, basically accepting Trudeau's position, you know, call it a levy, a fee or a tax.
02:39:16.760It's a tax is a tax is a tax at the end of the day. And it is a it is a type of carbon tax that he's basically backing.
02:39:24.540so you know he's taken away a lot of that ammunition from um his opponents particularly
02:39:31.180the liberals and so i see the strategic value of that take away the opposition square the elections
02:39:37.640like focus it on on trudeau and that people are getting tired of of trudeau as the leader they're
02:39:43.900getting tired of the of the empty words and so uh and people are maybe looking for a bit of a
02:39:50.720a change uh like it this this could be a bit of a has the opportunity to at least be a bit of a
02:39:57.520change election and that's really what the in my view what the conservative party uh platform is
02:40:03.200is about i mean i'll get on my hobby horse i think they should be nailing um trudeau and
02:40:08.720this liberal government on on the values of canadians and how they walked away from that
02:40:13.760at least in as shown very bluntly in in canada's actions in or lack of action in afghanistan but
02:40:20.880anyways okay uh well we'll try to keep it uh tighter here because we want to get through
02:40:27.840uh through everything before we go on too long uh quickly um jonathan uh how do you think uh
02:40:34.960o'toole came out tonight do you think he achieved what he needed to achieve
02:40:38.640the biggest thing o'toole needs to achieve is he needs to show stability and confidence i think
02:40:43.120think he did both of those things very well he came across as a very polished debater uh his
02:40:48.860cadence his confidence uh and just his air were all better than trudeau's and that is what he had
02:40:56.180to do people know who justin trudeau is people don't know erin o'toole that well so he has to
02:41:01.840do that much better in the debate and while there was no knockout punch the only one in a canadian
02:41:07.760prime ministerial debate I can recall is in 1984 when Mulroney knocked Turner out on his
02:41:13.120on totally knocked him out uh there wasn't a knockout punch but I think O'Toole needed to do
02:41:19.880what he needed what he was doing to solidify the vote that he had and perhaps expand it further
02:41:26.020either way here though we're in a minority government situation we're going to be having
02:41:30.080these these discussions in 1824 months again okay yeah I want to say one thing too you know we've
02:41:36.060seen just a little bit of decrease in the momentum of the conservative party here i think in the last
02:41:41.100handful of days and it seems to be somewhat related to the to the gun issue being brought
02:41:46.780up i'm not actually commenting on the flip-flop or otherwise it just seems to be come up and so
02:41:51.100i have to say i was actually a little surprised that it uh it wasn't brought up more against
02:41:56.060o'toole tonight so i think it actually worked in you know tools favor and i'd agree with jonathan
02:42:00.460that he he put in a composed polished performance. He's a very accomplished individual himself. He's
02:42:08.700very smart. He's very disciplined. And, you know, that's, I think, a great credit to him as a leader
02:42:14.940and potentially the next prime minister of this of this country. So. Okay. All right. So as I said,
02:42:21.740we're going to try and keep it quick here so we can get through and relatively timely fashion.
02:42:26.780And Blanchet seemed to give a don't-give-an-F vibe the entire debate.
02:42:53.980You know, this is like Calgary playing in Montreal. You get to show off what you're doing away. And so in that sense, you know, he was very antagonistic towards English Canada. Very, you know, talked about, he said the bloc would put a cap on Western energy production.
02:43:15.180I hadn't actually heard that before. I don't know if that was a policy that he's had yet or not, but it was absolutely flabbergasting for a leader that claims to represent Quebec, which takes an incredible amount of wealth from Western Canadians on a daily basis to fund its operations, would say so, but not altogether surprising from what we know.
02:43:36.180He had a great line. He says, I'm not that interested in running Canada, but let me tell you why I should be at this debate anyway. It was kind of a funny line, but I thought he made actually a fairly compelling argument about why, at least from the perspective of a Quebec nationalist, why the Bloc Québécois should hold the balance of power.
02:43:58.320He says, you know, some of these parties are bad, some of them are slightly less bad.
02:44:05.120And you know which, you know, the characters know who they are on the stage here.
02:44:11.780And it will be an advantageous position for the Bloc Québécois to hold the balance of power and be the watchdog on the big parties forming government and parliament.
02:44:20.840And I thought that was actually a pretty salient argument about why the Bloc Québécois, from the perspective of a Quebecer, is actually a very good option, regardless of what side of the political spectrum you're on.
02:44:35.760But what really stood out with the bullshit for me was how every question was about Quebec.
02:44:41.800You know, we had this entire segment about First Nations reconciliation.
02:44:44.740And essentially his answer to them all was, yes, First Nations have been mistreated, but you know who else has been mistreated? The Quebec nation. Yes, First Nations didn't sign treaties giving up their sovereignty. And you know who else didn't sign a treaty giving up their sovereignty? The Quebec nation.
02:45:02.480everything was about him everything was about Quebec and it got almost sad comical at a time
02:45:11.220it's almost funny if it wasn't such a serious topic but I'll go to yeah yeah yeah you know just
02:45:29.060going to blend yet i i actually thought one of his his best answers tonight was when um
02:45:34.020uh was it rose rosie barton was uh trying to to catch him on the seniors funding and
02:45:41.140you know he kind of started to give an answer and she kind of like doubled down on on her question
02:45:46.260and you know he he kind of paused a little bit and thought you know um no i i thought there was
02:45:52.580a bit of a touch of emotion there and he talked about how these people have that have been working
02:45:56.740their entire lives why shouldn't they also get uh the benefit of that in i guess the nature of the
02:46:01.540question was why should you give all seniors uh money instead of only uh say some those who
02:46:06.660actually need it themselves and you know his point was like you know these people have worked hard
02:46:10.900and contributed and and they need it so i actually thought that that was pretty interesting but you
02:46:16.340know just to kind of pick up on how you talked about putting a cap on western energy production
02:46:20.980he's clearly over and over and over always answers in whatever is in quebec's best
02:46:26.100interests and he'll take money from anywhere and anyone across across canada to do it and it's
02:46:31.140never enough you know just more more more but at the same time and you know quebec rights expect1.00
02:46:36.820you know uh respect our nation respect our province everyone else but out uh but you know
02:46:43.220what you can't produce energy and i and i'm going to be totally on board in in supporting uh whoever
02:46:49.460is if it's a liberal or god help us a an ndp government uh you know stop the economy uh from
02:46:57.140growing in and in western canada that's just quite quite fine by him to to support so it's quite a
02:47:04.020bit of hypocrisy uh there on his part and and also let's just be frank double down here he's got a
02:47:09.140couple refineries in in quebec that they just they seem quite fine you know taking oil in from
02:47:14.100from saudi arabia so anyway but i will say the only other comment i'd have is
02:47:21.060um i don't know if you guys might remember there was a movie back in the early 90s with
02:47:26.500kevin klein that was called dave and it's about the uh a guy the the actual president dies and
02:47:33.140then they they find this like a community uh job finder guy a job search guy they bring him in and
02:47:40.260install him as president because he's got a remarkable resemblance to the actual president
02:47:43.700and he actually turns into this nice kind of relatable guy that uh comes in and uh acts as
02:47:51.460president and i sort of had almost a little bit of that feeling tonight but again that's when you
02:47:56.420don't really have much on the table you get to be a little more just natural and and uh less caring
02:48:03.220um okay uh jonathan uh do you uh you blanchette uh has he got your vote you go back the block
02:48:14.080well uh first off i live in alberta so i have no option to vote for the block but
02:48:18.580i will just offer this this comment who could argue that the bloc quebecois has not been
02:48:23.940successful in their mandate over the last about almost 30 years since bouchard broke through with
02:48:30.160152 seats in the 93 election, formed the official opposition.
02:48:34.200They've been very, very effective in turning the agenda to Quebec and raising the specter of Quebec separatism.
02:48:41.080And as a result, we see where all the transfer payments go.
02:48:47.740He did quite well in the 2019 election.
02:48:50.160I will give him also credit that his English has improved.
02:48:52.420And his English is sure a heck of a lot better than my French is.
02:48:54.680But the blatant hypocrisy, he starts talking about, oh, we want to put caps in the oil sands.
02:49:02.680Listen, the amount of oil that is being imported from politically unstable jurisdictions transported across the world when we have a politically stable supply of energy in Western Canada with high environmental standards, high social standards, again, in the same country.
02:49:22.840Why are you opposed to these pipelines? And instead, you're you're incurring more fossil fuels, more emissions to bring the energy from across the world. It makes no sense.
02:49:34.660okay um so the we're gonna go to discuss jaymeet singh and uh there was some other lady on the1.00
02:49:43.620stage uh i think she was the independent candidate for uh toronto center or something
02:49:49.180she uh she was going on about the environment or something i'm not really sure who she was
02:49:54.080uh i think she had one of those seinfeld puffy pirate shirts on uh but i couldn't quite tell0.87
02:49:59.740But Jagmeet Singh, I think, if he's your cup of tea, I think it comported himself well.
02:50:07.100I mean, the man knows how to wear a suit.
02:50:10.220I think he, I mean, his answer to everything was spend.