Montreal – Arab Canada News

In an analytical article published on CTV News, former leader of the New Democratic Party, Tom Mulcair, stated that the recent English-language electoral debate represented a pivotal moment for both Liberal leader Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, as each delivered a performance that revealed both their strengths and weaknesses.

Mulcair observed that Poilievre entered the debate in a strong position, supported by a cohesive conservative base, and took the opportunity to reaffirm his core messages regarding tax cuts, crime fighting, and confronting liberal immigration policies. However, according to Mulcair, he overstepped in some of his positions — particularly with his pledge to use the “Notwithstanding Clause” to override Supreme Court decisions — which might raise concerns among centrist voters.

As for Carney, although he delivered a calm and balanced performance, he struggled to distinguish himself from the record of the previous Trudeau government. Mulcair points out that Carney avoided some tough questions, which made him appear at times as if he lacked clear solutions to current challenges, especially in the areas of the economy, crime, and immigration.

Mulcair believed that leftist leader Jagmeet Singh chose to distance himself from the clashes and focused on delivering messages aimed at the working class and low-income individuals, but he remained on the sidelines of the debate amidst the direct battle between Carney and Poilievre.

Mulcair concluded that the debate was a real test of Carney's ability to engage in a direct electoral confrontation and of Poilievre's boldness in pushing his conservative agenda to the limits, but he warned both leaders that their mistakes during the debates could have significant electoral costs in the upcoming stage.