2 weeks Ago
Liberal Leader Mark Carney faced jabs from his opponents at Wednesday's French-language leaders' debate, with accusations he's out of touch with working people and won't offer enough change from his unpopular predecessor. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Carney was former prime minister Justin Trudeau's "economic adviser" and re-electing the Liberals would deliver more of the same. Carney offered advice to the last government during the COVID-19 pandemic and at the end of last year on a part-time basis.
"The problem, Mr. Carney, is your party has been in power for 10 years. You are just like Justin Trudeau.
We need change," Poilievre said. Carney didn't roll over in the face of these attacks, saying Poilievre is the wrong person at the wrong time with Canada staring down U.S.
President Donald Trump and his trade war. "I'm not Justin Trudeau, OK?" Carney fired back. "The question in this election is who is going to succeed in facing Donald Trump.
We are in a crisis, the most serious crisis of our lives. We need to react with resounding and overwhelming strength. We need a government ready to act," Carney said, promising to be laser-focused on building the economy in the face of Trump's broadsides, if elected.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre listen to Liberal leader Mark Carney speak during the French-language federal leaders' debate on Wednesday. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Poilievre denied he's a mini-Trump figure who would kowtow to the president if elected, saying he's ready to sit down with the Americans and try to negotiate a deal right away to bring this ongoing trade dispute to a swift end. He said a Conservative government would do away with environmental regulations loathed by some companies in the energy and natural resources sectors and turbocharge oil and gas development to make Canada an energy superpower.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was on the attack throughout the debate, trying to draw attention from voters as polls show his party's support has nosedived. He said Quebecers should turn their backs on Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, claiming a vote for that party is a waste because they can't do much from the opposition benches. "Mr.
Blanchet, unfortunately, in the last government you showed you were as useless as the monarchy," Singh said, criticizing the separatists for voting against NDP-backed legislation to enact pharmacare. Singh also set his sights on Poilievre, saying the Conservatives would make deep cuts to public services to pay for his pricey proposed tax cuts. LIVE Leaders clash on cost of living, housing and who's best to take on Trump Canada Votes 2025 Carney expected to be top target in French-language leaders' debate He said Poilievre would torpedo health care as part of a drive to find savings to give more money to the wealthy.
Poilievre is pitching a sizeable middle-class tax cut. Singh said the Tory can't be trusted to protect programs that help the most vulnerable. "We want our health-care system to be nothing like the American one," Singh said.
Poilievre denied he wants to make cuts to the things Canadians rely on, saying instead he would curb the government's use of "consultants" to pay for billions of dollars worth of new promises. Singh also targeted Carney with another anti-monarchy remark saying the Liberal leader had time to meet with King Charles during a recent trip to the U.K.
but hasn't boosted how much money is available to the unemployed through employment insurance (EI)..
