Here’s what to expect in the first Liberal leadership debate

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MONTREAL — Liberal leadership hopefuls will square off face-to-face for the first time Monday night during a French debate that will test both their policy proposals and their ability to speak the language.

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Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould and Frank Baylis will face off at 8 p.m. in a TV studio in Montreal for the first of two debates just two weeks before Liberal members are set to choose the party’s next leader.

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The four themes being debated in both the French debate and Tuesday’s English debate are Canada’s place in the world (and particularly its relationship with the U.S.), the economy, government programs and the environment. Monday’s event will be moderated by former TV anchor Pierre Jobin in a room without spectators.

For each theme, Jobin is expected to ask six questions to the candidates, who will have either 60 seconds to make their pitch or five minutes to debate among themselves.

For many francophone Canadians, it will be the first opportunity to hear each candidate speak extensively and mostly unscripted in French.

That’s particularly true for Carney, the race’s frontrunner whose ability to think and communicate quickly in French has gone largely untested in the public’s eye. As former ministers, Freeland and Gould have frequently had to respond to media questions in French during scrums and press conferences. And Baylis, a former Liberal MP from Montreal, is the only candidate from Quebec.

On the morning of the debate, Carney released new policy proposals that included capping immigration levels at an unspecified level and using artificial intelligence to “create highly competitive, productive, and technology-enabled public service.”

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His team has also taken the art of spin quite literally.

In fact, Carney’s day started with a spin class — in French — as part of his French immersion with his campaign in preparing for Monday night’s debate. His campaign said he also spent all weekend in the Montreal area speaking strictly in French with his staff.

Carney is hoping to not only show that his French has vastly improved, but also to showcase more of his personality to Liberal voters, said a source close to him.

“He is a very sharp and funny guy and so being able to present and show Canadians that as well is what we’re hoping to do,” said the source.

Carney is not expected to unveil a specific Quebec strategy, added the source. Rather, he is expected to focus on pillars of his plan that could appeal to Quebecers, on renewable energy, climate and innovation, where Quebec has been at the forefront of these efforts.

Freeland’s campaign has been more focused on wooing rural Quebec. The former finance minister defended supply management when she visited a dairy farm in Eastern Townships last week and has been touting her childhood spent on a farm in a recent advertisement.

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A source close to Freeland said she will “speak from the heart” and be her own person, as opposed to the more cautious and scripted minister that Canadians were used to.

“The best we can think of it is ‘Chrystia Unleashed.’ She’s just herself,” said the source.

Freeland’s team said it is aware that both debates are happening at a “critical moment” in the campaign, since it will be the only time that Liberals will be able to compare the different leadership contenders before they start voting for their preferred leader.

“We’re really not underestimating how influential this moment is to capture votes,” said the source.

While most of the exchanges between candidates are expected to be cordial, expect Gould to challenge some of her opponents “in a friendly format,” said a source close to her.

The source said Gould could, for instance, question Carney on some of his more lavish expenses during his time as governor of the Bank of England. The institution was criticized for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel expenses under his leadership, among other things.

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Carney’s team said now is not the time to be fighting amongst each other, but to focus on what they see as the party’s common opponents: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The debate was originally set to have five candidates, but Ruby Dhalla was kicked out of the race last week after the party found she had committed 10 “extremely serious” violations of the leadership campaign rules.

“The violations include concerns about alleged violations of the Canada Elections Act, certain other election finance matters, non-disclosure of material facts, and inaccurate financial reporting,” read a statement by Liberal Party national director Azam Ishmael.

On Monday, Dhalla said in a post on X that she is appealing her disqualification. The party said it has received Dhalla’s appeal, and it has been referred to the the Permanent Appeals Committee.

National Post

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