Canada Votes, 2019

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Globe is reporting that Liberal sources say Trudeau is visiting the G-G tomorrow morning. Here we go, though it feels like it's been going on for a while already. I note that in their article reporting this, they completely ignore Bernier when listing leaders' plans for the first week of the campaign. Apparently, they are according him the fringe party status he deserves.

Oh, and what do people make of Trudeau passing on the Macleans' debate? Apparently, he is only participating in consortium debates (i.e. the ones run by the CBC-CTV-Global commission), not the independent ones run by Macleans and the Munk Debates. Is he "ducking" or just being judicious in how he participates?

Personally, I am finding the debates are getting less and less useful to me as time goes on. I'll probably watch some of them, but they generally don't change my voting intentions.
 
I don’t find the debates very useful either. But it is annoying for him to miss ones already organized. I hope the debate goes ahead and without him the others will have lots more opportunity to show us what they are made of

Heard his strategist on CBC two days ago out and out admittiting that they do t want him doing the debates as he has too much room to fail
 
I’ll watch them to see if Singh breaks his relative silence and comes out swinging and his poll numbers go up. I hope so. However, we have a short election campaign cycle so there probably isn’t time.
 
But it is annoying for him to miss ones already organized.

OTOH, it's not like he accepted the invites from Macleans and Munk and then changed his mind. He simply rejected the invites. And he's participating in the commission debates, though that may be under duress. Not showing up for those would likely be a bigger black mark.

Wonder if the Macleans debate is being streamed. It's Thursday night, I think.
 
There are no PR gimmicks, like boxing matches, this time.

Bummer. Would make it more interesting. :oops::D

Actually, I think a Reach for the Top format could be fun. Four members from each party competing to answer questions about Canadian history, government, etc. Would show how much or little they know about the country they are asking us to let them run.:nerd:
 
My guess is that the People's Party will implode after this election UNLESS they actually get a seat or two, in which case they might be around for 2023. Extreme parties tend to be full of extreme personalities, leading to inevitable internal conflict and losing is often what triggers it. Bernier clearly sees this party as his baby and any challenge to his leadership, even after an unsuccessful election, could blow things up.
 
Funnily enough, Jordan Peterson has showed up at events for Bernier, had him reverse his position on C16. (JP has also been at speaking engagements endorsed by Trump Jr. for Talking Points USA) - speaking of IDW influence on the far right. It’s like an open secret. May not seem relevant but it is.
 
I have no real interest in debates and I don't generally watch them. They're a lousy way to get any meaningful information. So, personally I couldn't care less if Trudeau participates or not, but with debates being almost all about image it's not going to look good on him not being there.

And whether I pay attention to them or not, they can certainly make a difference. Sometimes one good line can define a campaign. I think of 1984 when John Turner tried to defend his patronage appointments by saying that he had no option because if he didn't make the appointments Pierre Trudeau would have made them and he would have lost his majority and not been able to form a government - which was a specious argument. But what counted was Brian Mulroney's response. "You had an option, sir! That is a disavowal of leadership and you could have said 'NO!'" Turner's campaign died at that moment.

Less defining was an exchange between Justin Trudeau and Tom Mulcair in a 2015 debate I did watch. They were arguing about Quebec separatism and whether 50% + 1 in a referendum was enough for Quebec to secede, as NDP policy said. Trudeau was arguing against that and Mulcair rather sneeringly said "well, what's your number?" Trudeau calmly replied, "My number is 9." Mulcair looked puzzled. Trudeau continued. "Nine Supreme Court judges who said that 50% + 1 wasn't enough - but Mr. Mulcair chooses to stand with the Quebec separatists and against the Supreme Court of Canada." Mulcair was visibly flustered and had no response. For me, that was the point at which Trudeau became the main alternative to Stephen Harper; it was the start of the road that took the Liberals from third party to majority government.

So debates might not offer a lot of useful information, but they can provide sound bites that can make or break campaigns.
 
It is Interesting how images we see changes opinions. Like Stanfield dropping that football. I forget who, but wearing one of those gauzy white hats while visiting a bakery, Trudeau boxing , Harper shaking his sons hand......

Oddly none of these things really mattered but they presented an image.

Why none of his issues stick to trump is puzzling
 
Turner's campaign died at that moment.


I was spending that summer with my great-aunt in Toronto. I remember John Turner seeming to disintegrate through the summer. I don't remember where the debate was on the timeline exactly. What I do remember is my aunt watching him on TV, shaking her head and saying "I've never been so disappointed in a man as I have with John Turner"

I doubt I will watch the debates. I'd be more interested in topic driven debates where the candidates have to speak on topics and actually help us know something about their views and their policies.

I do like the Reach For the Top idea. :)
 
It is Interesting how images we see changes opinions.

“Canadian Liberals may have accidentally committed a “deplorable” moment with their loathsome attack on Conservative leader @AndrewScheer, for once being poor — #ScheerWasSoPoorThat — before their Oct. 21 election.”

#ScheerWasSoPoorThat he couldn’t ride his dad’s vintage luxe Mercedes to his posh downtown Montreal Laurentian elite wedding

View image on Twitter

That’s just a sample of what people are saying. And most notably, while the hashtag is still trending, it’s now spreading because of people slamming the Liberals, confirming that this is now totally backfiring on the Liberals.

#ScheerWasSoPoorThat it didn’t cross his mind to charge charities like the Canadian Mental Health Association $20,000 in speaking fees while he was an MP. #MentalHealth #SuicidePreventionhttps://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.1308010 …



 
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