The leaders of the four major federal parties in Canada were a grill for their response to US President Donald Trump and encountered energy and housing in their first television debate on the country's election campaign.
The French-language license marks a key election moment as it gave leaders a chance to court the voters in the seat-rich Quebec province.
It was also a big test for Liberal leader Mark Carney, who has a slight lead in the ballot box, but whose French is the most loyal among federal leaders. Sometimes he struggled to formulate his points on stage.
On Thursday, there is a second English debate before the Canadians voted on April 28.
On stage were the four main candidates for the party: the leader of the liberals and the current Prime Minister Carney, the conservative leader Pierre Polyver, the leader of the Quebecoas Iv-Francois Blanche and the new Democratic Party (NDP), Jaget Singh.
The debate was moderated by Radio journalist Patrice Roy.
Mr. Roy opened the forum that said that the short 36-day federal elections in Canada were “abducted by Trump” and asked each leader to outline two promises of the campaign that were not related to the United States or his tariffs.
But shortly thereafter, Roy is immersed in how each country will handle the trade war with the United States, calling it an “elephant in the room.”
Trump has a blanket of 25% tariffs for Canada goods, with the release of USMCA products – a North American Free Trade Deal. Canada is also affected by global US steel and aluminum and cars.
The president also publicly ponders Canada to become the 51st state of the United States.
Opposition conservatives have accused the ruling liberals of the country's weakening over the last decade, making Canada more vulnerable to economic threats.
Carney announced her experience as a former central banker for both Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as his time in the private sector.
“(Trump) respects people who understand the world and how the private sector works,” Carney said.
Singh, from the left NDR, seeks to draw both Poilievre and Carney as the wrong option for Canadians whose jobs can be affected by US tariffs.
“Both will reduce taxes for millionaires and billionaires,” he said.
For Carney, the French language debate was perhaps the first main test of the campaign path.
A second debate will be held on Thursday night, with contenders talking in English.
This forum will be wider throughout the country, but the bets were high on Wednesday for the liberals of Carney, which lead to Quebec, where most of the Franco-speaking Canadians live.
His French was the worst on stage, and he often maintained his answers short and sometimes struggled to overcome his points in the format of debate with opportunities for quick exchanges.
He also faced the most frequent attacks, as other leaders tried to tie him with the liberal record of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who resigned last month.
“We're still talking about the same party, the same cause,” said the bloc's blanche.
He added: “No because you change the leader that you are changing your philosophy.”
Carney counters that he has achievements, although only sworn as prime minister last month. He was “just arrived,” he said.
There was a moment of ease when G -n Roy asked leaders if they were buying smaller American products – as many Canadians were at the tariffs – at the grocery store.
Carney had admitted in an interview earlier this month that he was not making his groceries when he asked him if he was still buying strawberries.
Singh and Blanchett said they had purchased Canadian fruits. Carney said he gave up wine from us while Poilievre said he was buying Canadian beef.
Trump was not the only question about the agenda. The leaders were asked about their plan to deal with the Housing Crisis in Canada and how they would balance the climate and the economy.
At the Poiliev home, he vowed to reduce taxes and bureaucracy, which he says act as a barrier to the construction of the home.
“We do not need any more bureaucracy, we need more doors on the front,” said the JAB conservative leader aimed at Carney.
But the two found a common basis for energy, saying that the country should increase the production of oil and gas.
Carney said the climate remains a priority for his party, adding that he would focus on the production of “low -risk”, “low carbon” oil.
Immigration also had a wide agreement that Canada should consider its ability to integrate newcomers and asylum seekers.
In recent years, Canada has observed a quick boom in the population and social and housing infrastructure has been struggling to catch up.
Recently, Canadian border officials have noted a asylum seekers who want to cross the Quebec-the-result border as a result of the Trump administration's hard immigration policies.
It was absent from the debate stage was the Green Party. In the last -minute decision, the debate committee was disqualified for not meeting the criteria, not approving the candidates in at least 90% of the federal structures of Canada or electoral areas.
The party, which had two MPs in Parliament, when the elections were called, also failed to meet the threshold of at least 4% in national support.
Green Party's joint leader Jonathan Pedoa called the decision of the Commission “Unjustified” and “undemocratic.”
This was not the only change in the debate.
On Tuesday, the start time was officially moved forward by two hours to accommodate NHL game between Montreal Canadians and hurricanes in Carolina, with a place in the Stanley Cup playoffs.