Carney expected to be top target in French-language leaders' debate

Verity Stevenson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Federal enactment leaders are getting acceptable for their archetypal statement of the predetermination run this evening. 

The French-language statement volition instrumentality spot this evening astatine 6 p.m., followed by the English debate tomorrow astatine 7 p.m. Both debates are happening successful Montreal astatine the CBC/Radio-Canada gathering downtown, successful a ample workplace successful its ground-floor atrium. 

The clip slot for this evening's statement was moved up 2 hours by the Leaders' Debates Commission pursuing requests from parties that it not conflict with a Montreal Canadiens' crippled the aforesaid evening with imaginable playoff implications. 

The bulk of the 5 leaders participating successful the debate moderated by Radio-Canada's Patrice Roy will beryllium doing truthful successful their 2nd language.

French is the archetypal connection of the Bloc Québécois's Yves-François Blanchet and the Greens' Jonathan Pedneault. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is fluent, portion NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is also comfy successful the language. 

But the person who has faced the astir scrutiny for his French skills is the Liberals' Mark Carney, a governmental novice for whom this is his archetypal predetermination campaign.

"That's wherever the situation is going to beryllium for Mark Carney: it's going to beryllium to instrumentality to his messages and not instrumentality the bait," said Sandra Aubé, a governmental strategist and erstwhile main of unit to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. 

Aubé also said it's imaginable Blanchet could usage his mastery of French to propulsion Carney disconnected balance.

WATCH | More than halfway into the election, here's what the leaders are focusing on: 

78 seats in Quebec

The stakes for each person are precocious successful this debate, whose assemblage could beryllium mostly made up of Quebecers.

With 78 ridings, Quebec sends the second-highest fig of MPs to Parliament (after Ontario's 122). So it's captious successful determining which enactment volition signifier the adjacent authorities and whether it volition beryllium a bulk oregon a minority. 

Both the Bloc and NDP have mislaid a important magnitude of enactment there, according to polls.

Aubé said that galore voters who would typically ballot Bloc are backing the Liberals truthful acold successful the polls — which means Carney, who has been enjoying historical levels of support, volition beryllium a target.

The different enactment leaders "are going to effort to get nether his tegument to marque him speech astir things helium hasn't prepared for," Aubé said.

In caller weeks, Singh has pitched his enactment arsenic the imaginable equilibrium of powerfulness successful Ottawa betwixt Carney's Liberals and Poilievre's Conservatives. 

"I'm going to instrumentality connected these 2 leaders, connected their offers for Canada, [and] contiguous our imaginativeness for Canada — one wherever we instrumentality amended attraction of each other, wherever we put successful each other, wherever we assistance each different up," helium told reporters Tuesday. 

While Blanchet has made immoderate attempts astatine drafting attraction to Carney's French, it hasn't seemed to dissuade Quebec voters yet. Barring immoderate large mistakes successful the connection oregon connected Quebec culture, Aubé doesn't judge Carney's French volition person a large interaction connected the result of the debate.

The Green Party raised eyebrows Tuesday aft it admitted to deciding not to tally 15 candidates successful immoderate national ridings wherever Conservatives are favoured to win.

The Greens submitted a afloat database of 343 imaginable candidates to the committee to clinch their spot successful the debate. But galore nominees didn't conscionable requirements by Elections Canada; successful the end, the enactment has candidates moving successful 232 of the 343 national ridings.

Pedneault has spent overmuch of the run truthful acold successful the Montreal riding he's trying to win: Outremont. This week, starring up to the debates, each 4 different enactment leaders with spots successful the debates person spent clip successful the state and successful Montreal.

Supply absorption and spiritual symbols

The leaders person had different opportunities to support their platforms to Quebecers, too. 

This weekend, Poilievre and Carney were connected the ultra-popular Tout le monde en parle show. And earlier this month, each 5 were interviewed successful a two-hour conception connected Radio-Canada called Cinq chefs, une élection. Carney faced questions astir however acold helium was consenting to spell to protect supply absorption of poultry, dairy and eggs — large economical sectors successful the province. He was also asked to complaint his French (he gave it a six retired of 10). 

Poilievre said he'd improve the Canadian subject and increase border security, utilizing them as bargaining chips with U.S. President Donald Trump. He said helium opposed Bill 21, Quebec's secularism law, which prohibits public servants, including teachers and constabulary officers, from wearing spiritual symbols. 

Anne-Marie Dussault, a Radio-Canada tv big who has moderated respective provincial and national debates, says her workfellow Patrice Roy has pushed for moderators to beryllium capable to inquire follow-up questions, which leaders had successful the past refused to allow. 

"Follow-up questions sometimes are the astir important," Dussault said, noting arsenic good that debates are a high-pressure situation for each involved.

"It's hard to beryllium appreciated by anyone. People look astatine the statement from their ain lens. If they're Liberal, if they're Conservative, NDP oregon Bloc — they say, 'Ah, wherefore did she inquire that question? Why didn't she inquire the different one?'" Dussault said. 

In 2021, much than 4 cardinal viewers tuned into the national leaders' French debate, portion much than 10 cardinal watched the English 1 live. As for Monday's Habs game, 1.2 cardinal hockey fans tuned into that event. 

"People accidental that successful Quebec, hockey is simply a religion," Dussault said.