Monday April 14, 2025 | NATIONAL NEWS [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC] – Updated April 15, 2025
Political news | by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Also see: Leaders debate in French at new time to avoid viewing conflict with NHL game
The leaders of the main federal political parties will be participating in two federal leaders debates this week.
Debate format might seem like a dry topic for political nerds, but the format can significantly impact how voters see, hear and understand the leaders and the issues. This year apparently there will be an effort to encourage “meaningful exchanges between the leaders.”
CBC/Radio-Canada will host the debate.
Dates, times and format:
- There are two debates – one in French (on Wednesday April 16 at 6 pm ET / 3 pm PT) and one in English (Thursday April 17 at 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT). NOTE: On April 15, the French debate time was changed (from 8 pm ET to 6 pm ET) to avoid live broadcast time conflict with a hockey game.
- Both debates will be broadcast live by CBC from the atrium of Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal; other broadcasters and media organizations can distribute the debate on their platforms.
- Debate duration is 2 hours without commercial interruption.
- Debate format is open debate; questions will be asked by a single moderator (TVO journalist Steve Paikin to host the English-language debate. Radio-Canada’s Patrice Roy will host the French-language debate). This differs from 2021 when the format was seen by the organizing Commission to have been “too rigid, too complex, too confusing, involved too many journalists on stage and did not sufficiently generate debate between the leaders”.
- Debate themes will vary slightly between the French and English debates.
The debates are organized by the Leaders’ Debate Commission, a government agency created in 2018 to organize federal leaders’ debates.
Debate topics:
French debate (Wednesday April 16 – 6 pm ET / 3 pm PT)
- Coût de la vie (Cost of living)
- Énergie et climat (Energy and climate)
- Guerre commerciale (Trade war)
- Identité et souveraineté (Identity and sovereignty)
- Immigration et affaires étrangères (Immigration and foreign affairs)
English debate (Thursday April 17 – 7 pm ET / 4 PT)
- Affordability and the cost of living
- Energy and climate
- Leading in a crisis
- Public safety and security
- Tariffs and threats to Canada
Health-care is not specifically listed as a topic (perhaps because delivery of health-care is primarily a provincial responsibility). Immigration is not specifically listed as a topic in the English debate. Neither debate specifically lists housing, agriculture or food security.
Who is participating:
The podium positions for both debates were determined last week in a draw, as well as the order of arrivals and leader scrums after the debates.
Participating leaders are:
- Liberal – Mark Carney
- Conservative – Pierre Poilievre
- NDP – Jagmeet Singh
- Bloc Quebecois – Vyes-Francois Blanchet
- Green – Jonathan Pedneault
Party leaders may participate if they had at least one MP in the House of Commons at the pre-election dissolution date, and if the party has been polling at a level of at least 4% at the point of 28 days before voting day. The commission says voting intention will be determined using the most recent results of “leading national public opinion polling organizations.”
A third criterion is obviously not met by the Bloc Quebecois (but meting only two of three criteria is required): the party must have candidates nominated in at least 90 per cent of federal ridings across Canada (which this election is 343 seats), 28 days before the federal election.
Reliance on poll results seems an odd criteria that Canadians may wish to question after this election.
The threshold to participate this time around differs from 2021, when a leader only had to meet one of the three conditions.
The commission’s review of its 2021 format found that the debates “did not deliver as well as they should have on informing voters about parties’ policies.
===== RELATED:
- New time for Leaders Debate in French on April 16 (April 15, 2025)
- Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke all candidates event happening April 13 (April 13, 2025)
- Coming up April 18 in Langford: coffee chat with NDP incumbent Alistair MacGregor (April 12, 2025)
- Victoria Chamber to host local federal issues session on April 16 (April 11, 2025)
- It’s time for Liberals on Vancouver Island says Victoria candidate Will Greaves (April 11, 2025)
- Seniors make an effort to vote because it matters (April 8, 2025)
- NDP Victoria incumbent Laurel Collins endorsed by former Conservative candidate (April 8, 2025)
- Liberal Leader Mark Carney rallies the party faithful in Victoria (April 6, 2025)
- Second federal campaign visit by NDP Leader on south Vancouver Island (March 31, 2025)
- Tait vs Cool: NDP Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke candidate challenges ‘parachute’ choice by Conservatives (March 24, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: CANADA-NATIONAL | CANADA-USA | TARIFFS & TRADE | CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION 2025
- CALENDAR of ELECTION NEWS & DATES
- COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR