First Toe-To-Toe For Federal Leaders

By 250 News

Prince George, B.C. - As the pundits say, the federal election campaign is off-and-running...

The first leadership debate, in English, has wrapped up.  Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Michael Ignatieff, and Gilles Duceppe faced off on a total of six questions posed, via videotape, from Canadians across the country covering the hot button issues like the economy, health-care, and crime.

Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, held to his focus throughout of calling on Canadians to give his Conservative party a majority government in the May 2nd election.  "If we have a minority government, my fear is we will go through a 5th election and a 6th election," said Harper.  "I think, at some point, Canadians have to make a decision - we believe we're on the right track, we're asking Canadians for a clear majority so we can get on with the nation's business and focus on the economy."

For Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff the debate was about jets, jails, and corporate tax cuts.  Ignatieff said with the Conservative's $30-billion dollars on new fighter jets, $13-billion dollars on prisons, and $6-billion on unaffordable tax cuts.  "The numbers don't add up, you won't be able to pay for health-care," said Ignatieff.  "You're not telling the truth to the Canadian people, this is about the economy and it's about telling the truth about the choices that you want to foist on the Canadian people.  We need to make better choices."

NDP Leader Jack Layton said the party's health-care platform was the most important reason to vote NDP.  He said both the Conservatives and Liberals are looking down the road to the re-negotiation of the Health Accord with the provinces in 2014.  All three leaders agreed on maintaining a six-percent annual increase in transfer payments after 2014.  But Layton said, "We can't wait until then to start fixing what needs to be fixed - we say let's hire doctors and nurses now for family medicine all over the country, let's make sure that we have homecare - additional homecare - for families that are looking after people and that we get more long-term care beds now for the people who need them, and, finally, take action on prescription drugs to bring those prices down."

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe used many of his opportunities to remind Harper of comments and promises he made while in Opposition.  Duceppe pointed out that Harper had said it would be "immoral" not to respect decisions made by the House, yet has not done so while in the Prime Minister's Office.  Duceppe also called for more money to go directly to the provinces for health-care funding, saying that's where the expertise lies on how those dollars should be best spent.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May was not allowed to participate in the televised debate, instead she took part in a simultaneous live video-streamed discussion.

Round two, the French debate, goes tomorrow night.

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us