A selection of quotes from the Maclean's federal leaders' debate

[mentalfloss]

A selection of quotes from Thursday's federal leaders' debate:

"The other parties are proposing literally tens of billions of dollars of additional spending, permanent spending, to be financed by permanently higher tax rates and permanent deficits." Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.
—-

"What we're seeing here tonight is that you're going to do everything you can to hang on to your job. I'm going to do everything I can to create jobs for average Canadians." NDP Leader Tom Mulcair to Harper.
—-

"I'm going to stop you from hiking taxes on those average workers." Harper to Mulcair.
—-

"Mr. Harper's plan simply isn't working, we know that. Incomes are flatlining and household debt is skyrocketing." Mulcair on the economy.
—-

"You have completely become disconnected from the reality that people are facing right across this country." Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau to Harper.
—-

"His minimum-wage plan actually will only help less than one per cent of every Canadian who earns minimum wage, and that kind of false advertising is simply irresponsible." Trudeau on Mulcair's call for a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage.
—-

"Over 100,000 Canadians will get a raise. under Mr. Trudeau's plan, not a single Canadian will get a raise." Mulcair in response to Trudeau.
—-

"There is no public trust anymore. People don't trust this government to actually look out for our long-term interest." Trudeau on the environment.
—-

"We have a weak and shrinking economy and it's the wrong time for austerity measures." Green party Leader Elizabeth May.

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/a...he-maclean-s-federal-leaders-debate-1.3182400

Challengers talk up their performances while Stephen Harper opts not to address reporters.

Mulcair, Trudeau and May say they achieved their goals in debate | Toronto Star

 

[Cliffy]

 

[Locutus]

"mithter Harper"

justins' non-thanking, cringey, fumbling school president speech was tres awkward. especially after he interrupted his friend Wells to add some more.

Kady O'Malley, Ottawa Citizen 8 hours ago Last up at the post-debate scrums — the order of which is, like virtually every other aspect of the proceedings, determined by draw — is Trudeau, who is asked first about his aggressive pursuit of Mulcair, then about youth engagement, and then why his closing remarks were so “terrible”. Man, tough crowd.


Katewerk ‏@katewerk

Mulcair was so creepy in the #macdebate that it's Twitter's first choice in autoprompt. https://twitter.com/search?q=mulcair%20creepy&src=tyah …


"just elect may as speaker of the house, it'll shut her up and she'll probably do a good job": the internet

 

[mentalfloss]

Trudeau was definitely disappointing.

He came off as a PR bot, whereas the rest of the candidates seemed human.

Canada election 2015: 5 things we learned from the 1st debate

1. Stephen Harper can be shaken

If Conservative Leader Stephen Harper needed to look prime ministerial and remind people why they elected him the last time around, he seemed to deliver a mostly steady performance. But not entirely.

Harper is generally unflappable in public but this debate showed a couple of cracks in his rhetorical shield: Harper can be shaken, even on questions about the economy.

The Conservatives want the election to be about economic management and national security, traditional strengths for the Conservatives. But in one exchange, Harper admitted the Canadian economy is on the verge of a recession after it shrank for five straight months. One more month, to close out two quarters, meets the definition of a recession.

​Harper also got flustered during the debate section on the Senate, telling the other leaders that Conservative senators vote as they're told by his office, rather than based on what the senators think of legislation.

Senators used to ‎vote less along partisan lines but have in recent years closely mirrored their colleagues in the House.

"We cannot force them to do anything... but we ask them to support the party's position," Harper said.

2. Fighting for the left

For NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, it would have been important to look stable enough to replace Harper, but different enough to appeal to voters wanting a change. And different enough from each other to look like the best choice for voters seeking a change in government.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper clashed over their political priorities in Thursday's debate. (Mark Blinch/Pool/Canadian Press)
Trudeau and Mulcair, who have different visions but are still competing for many of the same voters, spent almost as much time contrasting their policies with each other as they did contrasting them with Harper's.

It led to some notable exchanges, particularly on pipelines when Harper could stand back and watch Trudeau and Mulcair discuss who had the most confusing positions and which leader had said one thing in French and a different thing in English.

3. May held her own

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May's task was to make sure she made an impression during the debate rather than letting the other leaders leave her out, and to remind people the party isn't a one-issue organization.

May avoided being sidelined and brought some important context on issues she's been vocal about — including C-51, which gave more power to Canada's spy agency, CSIS, and the environment.

In particular, she made clear that Mulcair hasn't taken a position on a Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion in Vancouver, forcing him into a series of non-answers during the debate on energy and the environment.

4. Trudeau got in his jabs

Expectations might have been lowest for Trudeau going into the debate, despite his rival's assertion to the contrary. But with his party in third, there was a lot to gain with a strong performance.

While he had some feisty exchanges with Harper, Trudeau also seemed nervous at times and stumbled badly in his closing, sounding stiff and rehearsed before going over his time.

That said, he probably had the most memorable exchange of the evening with Mulcair in the debate over Quebec sovereignty. Mulcair, whose NDP would let Quebec separate from Canada in the case of a clear 50 per cent plus one vote in favour, was pushing Trudeau for his own number.

"You're not answering...you haven't answered," Mulcair pressed.

"You want a number? I'll give you a number. My number is nine," Trudeau said, referring to a Supreme Court decision which he says contradicts Mulcair's policy.

5. Mulcair strong on the offensive

On the offensive, Mulcair was strong against Harper and Trudeau, forcing Harper into admitting Canada is very nearly in a recession, and generally keeping his opponents on their guard.

Mulcair's built a reputation as a tough questioner in the House, but the party has spent a lot of time softening his image, emphasizing his role as a father, son and brother, and putting him in photo ops with animals.

In Thursday's debate, this seemed to manifest itself through a continuous smile on his face. In the end though, forced smile or not, Mulcair's experience in the House served him in the more heated exchanges as he tried to pick at Harper's record and plug his own plans.

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/canada-election-2015-debate-takeaways-aug7-1.3182332

 

[pgs]

Trudeau was definitely disappointing.

He came off as a PR bot, whereas the rest of the candidates seemed human.

Canada election 2015: 5 things we learned from the 1st debate

1. Stephen Harper can be shaken

If Conservative Leader Stephen Harper needed to look prime ministerial and remind people why they elected him the last time around, he seemed to deliver a mostly steady performance. But not entirely.

Harper is generally unflappable in public but this debate showed a couple of cracks in his rhetorical shield: Harper can be shaken, even on questions about the economy.

The Conservatives want the election to be about economic management and national security, traditional strengths for the Conservatives. But in one exchange, Harper admitted the Canadian economy is on the verge of a recession after it shrank for five straight months. One more month, to close out two quarters, meets the definition of a recession.

​Harper also got flustered during the debate section on the Senate, telling the other leaders that Conservative senators vote as they're told by his office, rather than based on what the senators think of legislation.

Senators used to ‎vote less along partisan lines but have in recent years closely mirrored their colleagues in the House.

"We cannot force them to do anything... but we ask them to support the party's position," Harper said.

2. Fighting for the left

For NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, it would have been important to look stable enough to replace Harper, but different enough to appeal to voters wanting a change. And different enough from each other to look like the best choice for voters seeking a change in government.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper clashed over their political priorities in Thursday's debate. (Mark Blinch/Pool/Canadian Press)
Trudeau and Mulcair, who have different visions but are still competing for many of the same voters, spent almost as much time contrasting their policies with each other as they did contrasting them with Harper's.

It led to some notable exchanges, particularly on pipelines when Harper could stand back and watch Trudeau and Mulcair discuss who had the most confusing positions and which leader had said one thing in French and a different thing in English.

3. May held her own

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May's task was to make sure she made an impression during the debate rather than letting the other leaders leave her out, and to remind people the party isn't a one-issue organization.

May avoided being sidelined and brought some important context on issues she's been vocal about — including C-51, which gave more power to Canada's spy agency, CSIS, and the environment.

In particular, she made clear that Mulcair hasn't taken a position on a Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion in Vancouver, forcing him into a series of non-answers during the debate on energy and the environment.

4. Trudeau got in his jabs

Expectations might have been lowest for Trudeau going into the debate, despite his rival's assertion to the contrary. But with his party in third, there was a lot to gain with a strong performance.

While he had some feisty exchanges with Harper, Trudeau also seemed nervous at times and stumbled badly in his closing, sounding stiff and rehearsed before going over his time.

That said, he probably had the most memorable exchange of the evening with Mulcair in the debate over Quebec sovereignty. Mulcair, whose NDP would let Quebec separate from Canada in the case of a clear 50 per cent plus one vote in favour, was pushing Trudeau for his own number.

"You're not answering...you haven't answered," Mulcair pressed.

"You want a number? I'll give you a number. My number is nine," Trudeau said, referring to a Supreme Court decision which he says contradicts Mulcair's policy.

5. Mulcair strong on the offensive

On the offensive, Mulcair was strong against Harper and Trudeau, forcing Harper into admitting Canada is very nearly in a recession, and generally keeping his opponents on their guard.

Mulcair's built a reputation as a tough questioner in the House, but the party has spent a lot of time softening his image, emphasizing his role as a father, son and brother, and putting him in photo ops with animals.

In Thursday's debate, this seemed to manifest itself through a continuous smile on his face. In the end though, forced smile or not, Mulcair's experience in the House served him in the more heated exchanges as he tried to pick at Harper's record and plug his own plans.

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/canada-election-2015-debate-takeaways-aug7-1.3182332

So now we know what CBC thinks . But what about you . Did you watch the debate and form your own views or do you take the CBC as the word of god ?

 

[mentalfloss]

I already stated my opinion before the article.

Press the red button to get the nurse to bring you your glasses.

 

[Mowich]

The Republican debate was much more fun to watch.

 

[Corduroy]

Trudeau was definitely disappointing.

He came off as a PR bot, whereas the rest of the candidates seemed human.

I had low expectations for Trudeau, so I was actually surprised at how well he did. Elizabeth May too. Her brand of "I can say anything because I don't have a shot" is usually a little sloppy, but not during this debate. I was hoping for firebrand Mulcair but his PR people must have thought he needed to seem less angry and smile stupidly more often.

 

[Locutus]

“A carbon tax is not about reducing emissions. It’s a front for raising revenues.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

 

[bill barilko]

It's nice May showed up sober but I don't expect that to last.

 

[Cliffy]

 

[petros]

Are you high?

 

[Mowich]

It's nice May showed up sober but I don't expect that to last.

From all the reports I've been hearing Elizabeth May did very well in the debate. She appears to have reined in her habit of screeching and has a better handle on her emotions. The questions she asked and her knowledge of the subjects discussed were purportedly very astute. Not a fan of Lizzie but I will give her her due when it is called for and apparently this is the time.

 

[Ludlow]

Nothin better than a bunch of fvckin quotes. Here's one I like, A turd in the hand is worse than two in the bush

 

[personal touch]

Are you high?

if you missed the etiquette course,it was agreed on this forum,we would not respond with,"are you high" or "are you coked out"or "are you drunk"when people give their opinions or response.
did you miss the class?

i am voting Liz,I doubt it I have a green party candidate,if so,I am voting liz.

 

[petros]

From all the reports I've been hearing Elizabeth May did very well in the debate. She appears to have reined in her habit of screeching and has a better handle on her emotions.

Check out May's resume and her mental health issues post being introduced to the powers that the IMF be. Rafferty-Alameda, Free Trade and massive resources held as collateral in the form of national parks.

They scared the sh-t out of her and her paranoia led to hiding in BC and AK on fishing boats.

Then she became one of them after sacrificing a prime Saltspring goat on Randy Bachman's eco acreage.

 

[mentalfloss]

“A carbon tax is not about reducing emissions. It’s a front for raising revenues.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is wrong.

https://news.gov.bc.ca/stories/bc-achieves-greenhouse-gas-emissions-targetB.C. achieves greenhouse gas emissions target

 

[petros]

The sulpher haze over the lower mainland is f-cking awesome at dawn. Pretty sunrises in Nanaimo but good news, tankers and US refineries are upping the supply.


http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/bri...-drop-friday-across-metro-vancouver-1.3174724

Is a supply shortage an emissions success?

Boo to Kinder Morgan and non imported oil!

Hooray for California oilsands/heavy oil and double hooray for blind bipolar bear and caribou brain damaging North slope oil.

Have you based enough coke to save a deaf rainforest three toed sloath yet?

 

[mentalfloss]

Tale of the tape: Read a full transcript of Maclean's Debate - Macleans.ca

 

[petros]

What is Mulcairs plan?

Are Trade Unionists still issuing travel tickets for Red Seal tradesmen to work western Canada or are locals sitting on the board with thumbs up their asses?

Are Red Seal tradesmen still coming from around the globe to fill positions or is it kaput dead no more 3 million bbl per day by 2025 goal?