THURSDAY RECAP: Party leaders take aim at Carney in English election debate
Follow the Toronto Sun’s live coverage of Canada’s 45th general election
Article content
Follow the Toronto Sun’s live coverage of Canada’s 45th general election and tariff-related news, with contributions from Brian Lilley, Bryan Passifiume, Lorrie Goldstein and columnists Joe Warmington and Warren Kinsella, as well as contributions from the Sun’s editors and reporters covering the election ahead of the April 28 vote. Plus, you can find all of our election coverage here.
‘YOU, SIR, ARE NOT A CHANGE,’ POILIEVRE TELLS CARNEY DURING ELECTION DEBATE
tap here to see other videos from our team.
THURSDAY RECAP: Party leaders take aim at Carney in English election debate Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
MONTREAL — Taking part in his first English election debate, Liberal Leader Mark Carney cast himself as a safe pair of hands for a Canada in crisis — while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sought to frame him as more of the same after a decade of Liberal government.
Carney is leading in the polls and became the main target of all his rivals’ attacks early in Thursday’s final debate of the election — a trend that carried over from Wednesday’s French language debate.
Poilievre repeatedly sought to draw a straight line from former prime minister Justin Trudeau and his policies to Carney.
“We need a change, and you, sir, are not a change,” he said.
Coming off the French-language faceoff on Wednesday, Carney, Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet are debating the issues of the day in English.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“Are you prepared to elect the same Liberal MPs, the same Liberal ministers, the same Liberal staffers, all over again for a fourth term? Mr. Carney, Justin Trudeau’s staffers are actually here with you at this debate in Montreal, writing the talking points that you are regurgitating into the microphone,” Poilievre added.
“Look, I do my own talking points, thank you very much,” Carney shot back.
The debate was moderated by TVO’s Steve Paikin and focused on affordability, energy and climate, leading in a crisis, public safety and security, and tariffs and threats to Canada.
This will be the final leaders’ debate before the April 28 vote.
Read the full story here.
ENGLISH DEBATE RECAP
Read Brian Lilley’s take here.
Read Warren Kinsella’s take here.
LEADERS’ DEBATE POST-GAME SHOW
Join Toronto Sun Editor-in-Chief Adrienne Batra along with Sun writers Brian Lilley, Bryan Passifiume and Warren Kinsella as they will discuss the English Leaders’ Debate starting at 9 p.m. EDT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkW1V2tHjj4
SCRUMS CANCELLED OVER SECURITY CONCERNS
The leader scrums scheduled for after the English-language debate have been abruptly cancelled due to security concerns, CTV News reported on Thursday night.
Read the full story here.
CANADIANS SKEPTICAL OF CARNEY’S BUDGET PLANS: POLL
Canadians aren’t sold on the Liberal Leader’s plan to balance Canada’s books.
In a new Leger poll commissioned by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, 58% responded with skepticism over Mark Carney’s plan to balance Canada’s operating budget within three years.
As stated in a financial backgrounder published on the Carney campaign website, the budget-balancing act will ensure “responsible financial management while making wise, long-term investments to build for Canada’s prosperity and future.”
Read the full story here.
CARNEY LIBERALS WOULD CONTINUE UNRWA FUNDING
Just days after news reports emerged of a cash-strapped Hamas unable to fund its genocidal war against Jews, Canada’s Liberal Leader suggests a financial infusion may soon be on its way.
When asked during Wednesday’s French-language leader’s debate if a Liberal government would continue funding the terrorist-linked United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA,) Mark Carney said that it would.
“Yes,” Carney replied in French when asked by the moderator if he would continue funding UNRWA.
Read the full story here.
GEN Z VOTERS TURN TO POILIEVRE: POLL
Giancarlo Zorrilla attended a campaign rally for the first time in his life in March.
It was a rainy night near Vancouver — typical weather for Canada’s west coast — but that wasn’t stopping the 29-year-old Canadian from seeing Pierre Poilievre speak.
“It’s time for a change,” Zorrilla said on his way in to see the Conservative leader give a fervent, hour-long speech on skyrocketing housing prices and the failures of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Sure, Trudeau has stepped away from politics, but even a Trudeau-less Liberal Party is “still the same rock band,” Zorrilla mused.
It’s a sentiment shared among a significant number of young people. More than nine years after the Liberals swept to power on a platform of environmentalism, legalized marijuana and more immigration, many younger voters are frustrated.
Read the full story here.
CORBELLA: CARNEY MORE LIKE TRUMP THAN POILIEVRE
Of Canada’s top two federal party leaders, which one is more like U.S. President Donald Trump?
Partisans of each party will understandably try to point at the other guy.
This question, however, when answered with facts, should give pause to all Canadians who will head to the polls on April 28 to pick a new government to contend with Trump while simultaneously making Canada an attractive place for enterprise and citizens to thrive.
Read the full column here.
WHERE THE LEADERS ARE THURSDAY
The leaders of Canada’s four main political parties will square off for a second and final leaders’ debate tonight in Montreal, after an initial French-language faceoff on Wednesday.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and the Bloc Quebecois’ Yves-Francois Blanchet will meet onstage for a final time before the April 28 vote, after a first debate that saw them spar on pipelines, the economy and U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.
FRENCH DEBATE RECAP
Read Brian Lilley’s take here.
Read Warren Kinsella’s take here.
VIRTUAL DEAD HEAT
In new polling released this week by Leger for Postmedia, approval ratings for Mark Carney’s Liberals in the GTA currently sit at 47%, just 3% more than Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives’ 44% — a difference within the poll’s margin-of-error.
The Liberals maintained their comfortable lead in metro Toronto, 53% compared to the Tories’ 37%.
Read the full story here.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.