After the French-language debate, it was clear to many Quebecers who deserved their attention: not one of the federal party leaders, but an unemployed woman who asked a straight-forward question.
Almost as soon as the debate ended on Wednesday, news organizations were tracking down 53-year-old Muguette Paille. By the next day she was a star.
As part of the debate format, half a dozen Canadians had asked questions in pre-recorded messages. Paille was among them, but her question stood out. She explained that she lived in a small town and had struggled over the previous year to find a good job. What could the leaders do to help?
Gilles Duceppe, Stephen Harper, Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton -- all went back to Muguette throughout the debate, explaining how they would assist Canadians in her position.
"I was a nobody," she told CTV News in French, as she walked through her town of Sainte-Angele-de-Premont on Thursday. "Now people are applauding me, wanting to interview me. It's unreal."
Ignatieff called Paille to talk about her new celebrity. She says she was also touched by the empathy that Duceppe and Layton showed during the debate.
She has even received job offers, including one from a newspaper that wants her to comment on the campaign.
But she's still looking for long-term employment.
With a report by CTV's Genevieve Beauchemin in Sainte-Angele-de-Premont
