Cynics Unlimited

The second English debate for the 2006 Election has completed done and it … simply failed to impress. Granted, only the second half of this debate was witnessed with my full attention, but based on the finale there were no major explosions. Impressions of each of the leaders follow:

Paul Martin
Mr. Martin seriously dropped the ball in this debate. Indeed he started off on the offensive, going as far as to request Harper’s allegiance in banning notwithstanding clause (this would severely impair Harper’s ability to sidestep the courts and overturn court rulings permitting gay marriage). However, Martin quickly went on the defensive as he took pot shots from all sides over every scandal and gaffe on his resume. Looking visibly agitated, he took nearly every bit of bait offered by each party leader – at his lowest point, Martin answered an unrelated question with a rant about the Gomery trial, repeating emphatically how he was cleared. Martin had little success in trying to rattle the Conservative leader by discussing Harper’s earlier statements about Canada being a Northern European welfare state, which appeared to be his silver bullet.

Stephen Harper
Showing definite signs of political maturity, Harper played the conciliatory dove. On several occasions he offered the political olive branch to Jack Layton, anticipating that a Conservative victory will indeed be a minority (obviously someone gave his head a shake after that silly muse about a majority). Layton’s rebuke was taken in stride, as Harper casually offered his partnership once the debates were over. Policy questions were answered with an unusually moderate tone, and Harper even returned to one of his more bizarre overtures – recognition that Quebecers were a “nation”. Ms.Cynapse (being a typical woman) noted only two things about Harper:

• His nice blue tie
• The fact that he was the only politician who genuinely smiled when he talked

Being a typical male, Cynapse said “So what?”. But the truth is … women notice this sort of thing and it could make a difference for a leader with a largely male following.

Jack Layton
Layton closed the debate with a very nice slogan. It’s a shame he used the same slogan-tone throughout the whole debate - nearly every response sounded like his final summation. Layton’s modus operandi was similar to that of the first English debate: repeatedly accuse Harper of wanting to turn Canada into America; trip up Martin with anecdotes that illustrate the apparent ineptness of his party and try to defuse Duceppe by directly challenging the notion that Quebecers’ best deal in terms of services actually lies in sovereignty. The latter strategy was the most interesting, as Duceppe never had a definitive comeback. It is doubtful Layton won or lost voters with his repetitive tactics; however his role as kingmaker in the next parliament seems all but assured, as evidenced by the fact that Harper and Martin both went out of their way not to demonize him.

Gilles Duceppe
With nothing to lose, Duceppe went out with all guns blazing against … everyone and anyone. Despite having only a moderate command of the English language, Duceppe once again showed more grace and style than his opponents. He chose his battles strategically, trying to position himself as being a real Quebecer opposed to Paul Martin. Duceppe did score a good point against the Conservatives, pointing out that Options Canada (under investigation for internal management practices) took flight under Mulroney. Since he was preaching to the choir, it almost didn’t matter what Duceppe did … and it showed.

Jim Harris
Harris was very silent … probably because he wasn’t there. Isn’t it about time the Green Party got some air time? Having gained 6% of the popular vote with minimal media coverage, the Greens can hardly be relegated to the same fringe as the Communist Party of Canada or the Christian Heritage Party. Indeed, the NDP could use some serious competition on their end of the political spectrum.

There was no definite winner, but Paul Martin certainly lost. Far too often, the Prime Minister was sidetracked by backhand comments that should have been anticipated. Had Martin played his cool, he could have regained some Ontarian and moderate support as the voice of comfortable familiarity. Instead, his short temper indicated fear, which in turn made it difficult to achieve his ultimate goal: making voters fear Stephen Harper.

Based on the outcome of this debate, it looks a lot like Canada is heading for a Conservative minority. Harper’s party went into the debate with a 9% lead in the polls and that is likely to increase following once Canadians digest the results of the debate. Even the traditional last-minute correction in favor of the Liberals may not overcome such a strong lead.

Finally, CBC should seriously consider changing the debate format to allow more direct dialog between the leaders. It’s one thing to hear the same old reiteration of the party platform; defending that platform against scrutiny reveals much more useful information about each leader’s conviction and forethought.

Quotes:

“I don’t believe that Canada was built on American conservative values. It was built on compassion, on generosity, on sharing and understanding.”
-Paul Martin

“My forefathers have lived under the flag of this country for six generations. I have friends and relatives across this country and I have children growing up under the flag of this country, and my business, our family business, always operated flying the flag of this country. What I say to Mr. Martin is the values of ordinary Canadians are honesty, hard work, integrity and accountability, and your government, Mr. Martin, has not represented those values in parliament.”
-Stephen Harper

“I ask you to join me in saying enough is enough to Liberal arrogance and scandals, and enough to the vote-buying promises of the Conservatives”
-Jack Layton

“We are different. Everyone in Quebec knows that Quebec is quite different from the rest of Canada. Not better, not worse. Plain different”
-Gilles Duceppe

“I’m a Quebecer and simply don’t tell me that my values are different. My values are the same values as somebody who lives in Nova Scotia, Ontario or western Canada. The fact is that Quebecers have this same feeling. They want to build a great country”
-Paul Martin