MONTREAL—Federal party leaders took part in the French-language debate in Montreal on April 16, and while Canada–U.S. relations was a main topic, they were asked to present to voters their two top pitches unrelated to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump has weighed heavily on the election due to his tariffs and declarations about making Canada the 51st U.S. state, and parties have reacted by promising measures to reinforce Canada’s sovereignty and make the economy more resilient.
The leaders—Liberals’ Mark Carney, Conservatives’ Pierre Poilievre, NDP’s Jagmeet Singh, and the Bloc Québécois’ Yves-Francois Blanchet—were asked what two policies they are proposing which would concretely change the lives of Canadians but have nothing to do with the United States.
Carney’s two topics were that the construction of housing must be sped up, and that cultural institutions need to be reinforced and promoted.
On the campaign trail, Carney has made a number of promises around housing, such as getting the federal government into home building and cutting municipal development charges to increase the housing stock. On cultural institutions, Carney has also pledged to increase CBC/Radio-Canada’s funding by an initial $150 million.
Poilievre stayed on one of his key messages to respond to the moderator’s question. He mentioned the high cost of living and said the “promise of an affordable life has been broken.”
Poilievre said he pledges to cut taxes by 15 percent so that work can be rewarding. He also said he would remove the GST on the sale new homes and incentivize municipalities to cut taxes.
Poilievre’s tax cut promise would apply to the lowest bracket, and the plan to remove the GST would apply to homes up to $1.3 million. Carney has also made a similar pledge on new homes up to $1 million. The Liberal leader also promised a slightly lower tax cut of 1 percentage point on the lowest bracket.
Blanchet, the only native-French speaker among the leaders, said his two main items relate to issues he’s been advancing before Trump came to power.
He said Quebec has the right to have a different economy which is “open to the world” and based on its own natural resources and its emphasis on a green economy. He also said Quebec has the right to be different when it comes to language, culture, and values.
Blanchet had a unique chance to make his mark during the debate, with his party lagging the Liberals in the polls in the province. The Bloc leader declined to comment on the polls in a post-debate scrum with reporters.
Singh said the two elements he wants to focus on to change the lives of Canadians is expanding and improving pharmacare and dental care. He said Canadians and Quebecers want to “take care of each other” and this is represented by Canada’s health system.
The two programs were the fruit of the NPD’s supply-and-confidence agreement with the minority Liberals, which kept them in power in exchange for advancing NDP priorities.
Dealing With Trump
On the issue of who is best suited to deal with Trump, both Poilievre and Carney said the U.S. president must be met with “strength.”
Poilievre said Canada cannot control Trump but it can reverse Liberal policies that have “weakened” the country,” such as laws hampering resource development and projects and high taxes.
Similarly, Carney said Canada needs to build a stronger economy and respond to Trump with “overwhelming force.” The Liberal leader said Trump respects people who know how the world and the private sector work. Canada must also find new international partners, he said.
Blanchet said Trump would eventually shoot himself in the foot with his “extremely toxic” measures for the U.S. economy. Even though U.S. actions are negatively impacting Canada, Blanchet warned against using fear for political ends and said future negotiations would need to be conducted in a “rational manner.”
Poilievre and Carney have each said they would begin broad negotiations with the Trump administration shortly after the election if they become prime minister.
Singh emphasized the theme of defending Canadians’ values, and said the health system needs to be strengthened. He said health care should not be “Americanized” and it’s “primordial to defend who we are.”
Overall, Poilievre, Singh, and Carney did well enough in French, but Carney had more difficulty getting his points across and completing his ideas.
The party leaders will reconvene at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal on April 17 for the English-language debate.
