The leaders of Canada’s four main federal political parties are squaring off in a French-language debate in Montreal Wednesday night.
It’s the first of two debates ahead of the April 28 vote.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Pierre Poilievre for the Conservatives, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh will go head-to-head.
The co-leader of the Green Party was initially slated to take part in the debate, but was disinvited hours before the start time; organizers said the party failed to meet its participation criteria.
The debate will be livestreamed on CityNews 24/7. Omni Television will have debate translations in Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, Tagalog, Arabic and Italian on their YouTube page.
The two-hour French-language debate will be moderated by Radio-Canada’s Patrice Roy and will focus on five themes: the cost of living, energy and climate, the trade war, identity and sovereignty, and immigration and foreign affairs.
It will be the first federal debate for front-runners Carney and Poilievre. Blanchet and Singh previously debated other party leaders in 2019 and 2021.
The debate was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT but was moved two hours earlier because the Montreal Canadiens are playing a crucial hockey game Wednesday night.
The candidates will be back on the same stage Thursday for the English debate.
–With files from The Canadian Press
