Two of the four leaders set to face off tonight in the first televised debate of the federal election campaign went out ahead of the event to drum up support.
The French debate on TVA, one of Quebec鈥檚 most-watched networks, comes at the mid-point of the campaign and could prove crucial to the outcome on Sept. 20.
Only four leaders 鈥� the Liberals鈥� Justin Trudeau, the Conservatives鈥� Erin O鈥橳oole, the Bloc Quebecois鈥� Yves-Francois Blanchet and the NDP鈥檚 Jagmeet Singh 鈥� will take part.
The Green party鈥檚 Annamie Paul and the Peoples鈥� party鈥檚 Maxime Bernier were not invited to participate.
The TVA debate was seen as pivotal in the 2019 campaign.
Then-Conservative leader Andrew Scheer鈥檚 evasiveness on the issues of abortion and medical assistance in dying was widely seen as halting early Conservative momentum, ultimately enabling Trudeau鈥檚 Liberals to eke out a minority win.
The performance of Blanchet, a newcomer to federal politics at the time, was also credited with giving new life to the Bloc Quebecois, which helped rob Trudeau of a second majority mandate.
Blanchet and O鈥橳oole had no public events in the hours leading up to their debate, which will also be a first for O鈥橳oole as Conservative leader.
Trudeau hit Montreal鈥檚 Saint Laurent Boulevard around lunchtime, stopping to chat and pose for countless photos with students in frosh week shirts, shop owners and young families with babies in tow.
He stopped at one point to buy smoked meat sandwiches for his team and latkes for himself. A worker from another business came out to give Trudeau Portuguese custard tarts.
Trudeau 鈥� who was flanked by six candidates, including cabinet ministers Steven Guilbeault and Melanie Joly 鈥� encountered a largely friendly crowd on Thursday. He was heckled once by a passerby and again by two patrons on a restaurant patio.
Singh handed out samples of his personal recipe for 鈥淧unjabi poutine鈥� from a custom truck that almost didn鈥檛 make it after a wheel fell off 鈥� something the New Democrats hope doesn鈥檛 happen to their campaign in Quebec.
The province in 2011 helped make the NDP the Official Opposition, but in 2019 they lost all but one seat there.
The NDP leader told reporters that his strategy going into the debate was to target Trudeau and the Liberal government鈥檚 policies and paint a stark choice for voters.
鈥淭hey can choose another four years of Justin Trudeau, who has made all the things that people care about in Quebec worse 鈥� the housing crisis, environmental crisis, those have become worse with Justin Trudeau 鈥� or they can choose New Democrats, who have shown that we fought for them,鈥� Singh said.
鈥淎nd we will continue to fight for them, and we鈥檒l make sure that we solve the problems that people need solving.鈥�
A heavy police presence presided over the streets surrounding the television studio where the debate was scheduled to take place Thursday evening.
Several dozen protesters, most carrying flags of the Unifor and CUPE unions, faced them alongside others from environmental groups like Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion outside the TVA building. Officers in flak jackets stood guard.
Megaphone-wielding demonstrators chanted and held up placards in French reading, 鈥淟et鈥檚 shut down the fossil fuel industry鈥� and 鈥淐limate 鈥� time for action.鈥�
Meanwhile Pierre Karl Peladeau, chief executive of Quebecor, which controls the network鈥檚 owner Groupe TVA, greeted leaders as they walked in, waving with one hand and holding his 14-month-old son in the other.
The TVA debate is in addition to two official debates organized by the Leaders鈥� Debates Commission. The official debates are scheduled to take place next week 鈥� in French on Sept. 8 and in English on Sept. 9.
Paul will participate in those debates, but Bernier, who didn鈥檛 meet the independent commission鈥檚 criteria for participation, will not.
The TVA debate involves a series of face-to-face encounters between two leaders at a time, allowing for sharper and longer exchanges.
Tonight鈥檚 two-hour debate begins at 8 p.m. ET.
- The Canadian Press
