Don Martin: Trudeau lost the debate, but the voters may not notice -- or care
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau lost, but didn’t face the sort of devastating smackdown which would end his prime ministerial prospects.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole didn’t lose, but failed to unleash high-calibre firepower to generate enough buzz to enhance his prime ministerial prospects.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh doled out his predictable everything-for-everyone lines well, which likely solidified his support for third place.
And Green Party Leader Annamie Paul won the debate, but it just doesn’t matter because she probably won’t win her Toronto seat and may be lucky to see even Elizabeth May re-elected.
As for the leader who whined, that would be Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet on being denied his share of talking time. Well, he has little to no electoral skin in this game so let’s just move on.
- Recap CTVNews.ca's fact checks and analysis of the debate
- Election Dispatch: Sign up for a daily update on the campaign
That would seem to be the line on winners and losers last night, for what it’s worth, as the one and only English language debate disappears into the archives.
It might not be worth much, to be honest.
If 2019 polling is any guide to this sleepy showdown, less than half of Canadians knew the debate was happening and less than half of those tuned in.
Of those who resisted the lure of the U.S. Open, the Yankee-sweeping Blue Jays and the NFL season opener to watch it, the only viewers who matter live in 50 ridings with enough swing potential to decide the next government.
Besides, pundits and public perceptions rarely dovetail on these winners and losers.
Still, if just for fun, let us continue with debate analysis.
For starters, spare some pity for debate moderator Shachi Kurl of the Angus Reid Institute, who generated more controversy than any leader for trying to herd five howling cats through an impossibly short time limit on answers which, incredibly, had her forcing some leaders into five-SECOND rebuttals on complicated disagreements.
Brutal stuff, but it wasn’t her format.
And show some empathy for the journalists, who are also getting hammered on social media, for asking good (albeit lengthy) questions and trying to pry actual answers from leaders programmed to avoid saying anything.
Making the leaders who want to run our country uncomfortable in their usual habit of fluffing off hard questions is a good thing.
But I digress. So back to the leaders.
The biggest problem confronting Trudeau last night remains his chronic failure to add any real justification for this election as an urgent referendum on long-range renewal for Canada.
I know, I know, I need a new line of complaint about this campaign.
But his answers tended to zero in on what his government has done in the past with little emphasis on the way forward, which makes a mockery of an election called just as the fourth COVID-19 wave went rogue while we were botching the evacuation of our allies from Afghanistan.
In lieu of a future vision, all we saw was an angry torrent of quips Trudeau seemed to be in a moistly-articulated rush to get out before he forgot his rehearsed lines.
And then there was the moment he turned to Annamie Paul, after she noted he had forced out several top female ministers from his cabinet, to scold her with “I won’t take lessons on caucus management from you.” That had to generate an alarming groan from his war room.
Erin O’Toole, by contrast, did his bland best to remain calm and sound competent while trying to make his bizarre carbon savings accounts and termination of the Liberal $10-a-day daycare appear reasonable.
It wasn’t entirely successful, but he looked harmless enough, which was undoubtedly the prime directive from his handlers.
And give Jagmeet Singh this much: He had the line of the night when talk turned to residential schools and Trudeau delivered his usual mushy lines.
“How do you trust a PM who takes knee one day and takes Indigenous children to court the next?” Singh fumed. Ouch.
Trudeau denied this was the case, but respected advocate Cindy Blackstock, who is leading the legal challenge to secure compensation for substandard social services on reserves, took to social media minutes later to say it was very much true.
To sum up, IF this is one of those rare times when a single debate decides the outcome of an election, then Trudeau has even greater cause to worry today then he did pre-debate.
Fortunately for him this lineup of leaders was more scripted than a North Korean newscast and trapped in a format that encouraged Canadians to change the channel.
Undoubtedly, most of them did just that.
That’s the bottom line.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Local Spotlight
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.