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Canadian Election Debates

The Canadian election debates were held on October 1, 2008 in French and October 2, 2008 in English. Stephen Harper, Stephane Dion, Jack Layton, Elizabeth May and Gilles Duceppe were all present to participate in these much anticipated debates. Steve Paikin from TV Ontario was the moderator. Both official languages, French and English, were used during the debates.

Issues that were discussed and debated included the war in Afghanistan, the economy, the environment and climate change, health, arts and culture, crime and punishment, the Green Shift, carbon taxes, cap and trade system and some other issues.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was on auto-cruise, laid-back and was trying not to rock the boat since he was ahead in the polls. He came across a bit stiff and on script. The other four candidates were targeting him also. Harper was seen as not taking the economic crisis seriously. Harper is also tough on crime; he wants to lock up 14-year-old juveniles for life.

Jack Layton was his same old self. He was mostly trying to go on the attack mostly after Dion and Harper. The NDP has seen their numbers increase with respect to the popular vote in this election. Layton is very predictable and lacks passion, vision and fails to come up with new solutions. He says to vote for a new "strong" in his ads. I still do not buy it. There is something about him that I do not trust.

Gilles Duceppe was the surprise of both debates. Too bad that the Bloc only runs candidates in Quebec. Duceppe is a pragmatist who is down to earth and has a good grasp and knowledge of the issues. He has a great deal of heart and soul, and a passion for politics. I would trust him and vote for him under different circumstances.

Stephane Dion finally got his chance to shine during the debates. He presented his party's agenda and also went in depth into his Green Shift plan. He came across as someone who is a problem-solver and who is searching for new solutions to the problems Canadians are facing today. Dion is a passionate political thinker who wants Canadians "to have fun." He has a funny sense of humour. I applaud him for being as he said "courageous", to tackle climate change and putting it as the main issue on his party's platform. He also addressed the economic issues head on. He came across as a gutsy politician.

Finally, Elizabeth May deserves a honourable mention for being present at the debates. She was articulate and passionate, and presented her party's platform admirably. The Liberals and the Greens are the parties that are pursuing carbon credits for greenhouse gas emissions. Elizabeth is a gutsy woman - a Canadian politician who is not afraid to tell Canadians the truth. She presents her positions clearly on the issues. She held her own against the others, all men, and I do believe that most Canadians would applaud her debut at these debates.

I was glad that I had the opportunity to watch both TV debates, since I usually miss them because of work. The debates gave all parties the opportunity to present their party's agenda. I got a better sense how the candidates viewed the issues and how they stacked up to one another. Many Canadians do not usually get to speak to the party leaders and their candidates. Many candidates have scripted appearances and are not easily approachable to Canadians. I am very glad that the Internet is changing the way elections are being covered and the way information is readily available on the World Wide Web.

(P.S. red eyes--I posted the above since you had asked. I know that it is a bit late. I had some problems with my computer. Everything is fine now.)