No game-changing moment

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/04/2011 (5496 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — There was a lot of hype. There was a lot of hope.

But the knockout punch political watchers may have wanted never happened.

All four leaders came through the English debate Tuesday night without any major stumbles but likely did little but shore up their own voting bases heading toward the May 2 vote.

Held in a government conference centre a few blocks from Parliament Hill, Stephen Harper, Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe fielded questions from voters on corporate tax cuts, Canada’s role in the world, immigration, crime and health care. The format mixed each question with a one-on-one debate between two leaders at a time followed by a free-for-all for all four.

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Harper, as expected, played the most defence as the sitting prime minister, but stayed calm and measured as he absorbed shot after shot from the other leaders. He focused on his plea to Canadians to provide him with a majority government to prevent the distraction of elections and party bickering that has plagued the run of minority Parliaments.

"I’m worried, this country at some point, we are going to lose our focus on the economy," Harper said.

The Tory leader said he was proud of his record, adding that clearly his party can work with others since it has been in a minority Parliament for five years.

Harper was forced, as expected, to defend his government’s spending on the G8/G20 summits last year, and particularly $50 million for projects in the Muskoka region, which were the subject of a leaked draft report from the auditor general Monday. Auditor General Sheila Fraser cautioned Canadians to wait for the final report, which she can’t release until Parliament is sitting. But opposition parties jumped on the draft, which said the government had misinformed Parliament about how that money was going to be spent, and then doled it out with little regard for the criteria at hand.

Harper said he wants the report released now but said every cent spent can be accounted for.

Ignatieff had the most to gain from the debate as he tries to undo two years of Conservative attack ads and show Canadians he can provide a legitimate alternative to Harper and the Conservatives. Expectations were low due to the ads and most analysts seemed to believe he had both good and bad moments. He spent most of his time attacking Harper’s record and even did so in the occasional reference to measures in his platform such as a $1-billion fund to help youth go to college and university.

"You spent that in 72 hours at a G8/G20 summit" was the sound bite Ignatieff lobbed at Harper.

Ignatieff’s clear message was to paint Harper as anti-democratic, secretive and a control freak. He argued several times the election is underway because "Mr. Harper didn’t tell the truth" about the cost of new fighter jets and Harper’s crime bills. He also said Harper shuts down anything he can’t control, including foreign-aid agencies like Kairos, which the Conservatives stopped funding last year over Kairos’s stance on Israel.

Ignatieff, the only one of the four in a national leaders’ debate for the first time, stumbled a few times and tripped on his words more than the others. In one answer on crime, he started off strong, then got off course when he couldn’t remember the name of the man from British Columbia who asked the question. He also missed a prime opportunity to take Harper on over the attack ads after Harper claimed that personal attacks are not needed.

Layton appeared the most relaxed of the three English leaders, got in a few good one-liners and took time to attack both Harper and Ignatieff. He took Ignatieff to task for claiming the only choice in the election is between a Conservative or a Liberal government and also nailed Ignatieff for missing more votes in Parliament than anyone else.

He went after Harper for giving the wealthiest corporations tax cuts.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

Stephen Harper, prime minister, Conservative leader

WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO: He headed into a campaign saddled with the distinction of being the first prime minister to be found in contempt of Parliament. To make matters worse, the day before the debate, Harper was hit with a leaked auditor general’s report calling into question the $50 million in spending to spruce up the Muskoka region pre-G8 last June. Harper needed to push past that and other attacks on his ethics and accountability and portray himself as the steady hand on the wheel that can be trusted with a majority government.

WHAT HE DID: He stayed calm, didn’t get flustered under the pressure of repeated attacks from all three other leaders, and stayed on message. He defended his record.

BEST SOUND BITE: "I understand Parliament is at a stage where the opposition is not willing to take yes for an answer."

Michael Ignatieff, Liberal leader

WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO: Expectations were perhaps both low and high on the only rookie in the debate lineup. He needed to win over Canadians who have been told for two years that Ignatieff is only in this game for himself. To that end, he needed to come across as humble and convince voters to see him as prime ministerial material and trustworthy.

WHAT HE DID: Ignatieff seemed nervous and stumbled a few times. He had some strong moments attacking Harper’s record for accountability, honesty and democracy but was flustered and off his game at moments. If coming across as overconfident or arrogant was a fear, that did not happen. At times, he seemed the least confident of the bunch, but did demonstrate distinct differences between what he is offering voters compared to what Harper is pitching.

BEST SOUND BITE: "Let democracy breathe… let some flowers of democracy bloom here… You’re a man who will shut down anything you can’t control."

Jack Layton, NDP leader

WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO: Make himself relevant. The NDP has been squeezed out to some extent by the Liberals and Conservatives in this election and many aspects of the their platform are similar or the same as those in the Liberal platform. According to the polls, Layton is often the most well-liked of the leaders and is his party’s best asset. He needed to remind Canadians why that is.

WHAT HE DID: His job. Layton proved this wasn’t his first time at the debate rodeo, went after both Ignatieff and Harper with almost equal vigour and landed solid punches on both.

BEST SOUND BITE: (To Michael Ignatieff) "Why do you have the worst attendance record? Most Canadians if they don’t show up for work, don’t get a promotion."

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Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Québécois leader

WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO: Not too much. His big day is today in the French-language debate. In the English debates, Duceppe is almost an afterthought and often provides some comic relief.

WHAT HE DID: Not very much. He landed a few funny lines, got across his points on Quebec that play well for him there and got in a few jabs at Harper, the leader of the party the Bloc is battling with the most for seats in Quebec.

BEST SOUND BITE: "I would like to congratulate Mr. Harper for answering a question from a citizen for the first time this campaign."