Thursday, April 17, 2025
 

Carney takes jabs from all sides at French-language leaders' debate

As expected, Liberal Leader Mark Carney took hits from all his opponents onstage at the French-langauge leaders' debate. He had to be nimble in responding to criticism over his policy proposals and his predecessors' record.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre reiterated that Carney was former prime minister Justin Trudeau's "economic adviser" and re-electing the Liberals would deliver more of the same.

The Liberal leader worked to turn the tables around on Poilievre and argued the Conservative leader is the wrong person at the wrong time with Canada staring down U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariffs.

"I'm not Justin Trudeau, OK?" Carney fired back.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet went after Carney over Canada's dairy and poultry supply management system and said bits and pieces have been sacrified to the Americans over the years while the Liberals have been in power.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh — who took big swings at all the party leaders — criticized Carney over meeting with King Charles in his early days as prime minister instead of working on employment insurance.

But Singh also went after Poilievre and said the Conservative leader can't be trusted to protect Canadian programs that help the most vulnerable. Poillievre repeatedly said that's "not true" in response.

You can read a full breakdown of the French debate by J.P. Tasker here.

And remember, the English debate is tonight at 7 p.m. ET. You can catch it livestreamed on CBC News, including the CBC News app, CBC's YouTube channel, CBC Gem, the CBC News TikTok and CBCNews.ca.
 

Liberal leader Mark Carney, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pose for a photo before the French-language federal leaders' debate in Montreal on Wednesday. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)

Four federal leaders squared off in the first of two debates Wednesday night in Montreal, covering a range of topics including the U.S. trade war, housing, the environment and even strawberries.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh all took part in the French-language debate.

Green Party co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault was set to take part but was excluded in a last-minute decision by the debates commission.

Here are seven key moments and exchanges from Wednesday's political parlay.

Read more of this story here.

CBC's Poll Tracker

Last Updated: April 16, 2025, at 9:31 a.m.

CBC's Poll Tracker, run by Éric Grenier of TheWrit.ca, has the latest polling numbers in the federal election campaign. You can click on the photo and check out the full website, complete with seat projections and the percentage chances of each party winning the election.

Here's the latest: The Liberal lead over the Conservatives is holding at roughly six points and the party remains favoured to win a majority government if the election were held today.

The Conservatives have more support than they've had in the last three elections, but it is not high enough to win when the Liberals have picked up so much of the Bloc Québécois and NDP vote. Those two parties are on track for significant seat losses.

Photo of the Day

A laptop shows the Montreal Canadiens game as NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks with the media in Montreal on Wednesday. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

Canada Votes 2025: Answering your questions live

Have a question about Canada’s federal election? Catherine Cullen, host of The House, took your questions on everything from voting to campaign platforms with CBC TikTok producer Ashley Fraser.

What else do you want to know about the federal election? Send an email to ask@cbc.ca.

Listen of the day

Who is the Conservative kingmaker behind Poilievre?

Jenni Byrne, the longtime Conservative powerbroker running Poilievre's campaign, has moved in the party's inner circles since she was a literal teenager. A tireless tactician, she’s spent decades since shaping Canadian conservatism from within. 

Simon Lewsen, who recently profiled Byrne for Maclean's, takes Front Burner host Jayme Poisson through her biggest wins (Harper’s majority, O’Toole’s ousting), her most crushing losses (overshadowed by Trudeau’s sunny ways) and the roots of her unwavering commitment to populist conservative principles. This conviction has been her greatest strength — but could it also be her Achilles’ heel? 

Listen to this episode of Front Burner — Canada’s top daily news deepdive — right here.