Front-runner Carney faces jabs from all sides at French-language debate

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 7:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Liberal Leader Mark Carney faced jabs from his opponents astatine Wednesday's French-language leaders' debate, with accusations he's retired of interaction with moving radical and won't connection capable alteration from his unpopular predecessor.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Carney was erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau's "economic adviser" and re-electing the Liberals would present much of the same. Carney offered proposal to the past authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic and astatine the extremity of past twelvemonth connected a part-time basis.

"The problem, Mr. Carney, is your enactment has been successful powerfulness for 10 years. You are conscionable similar Justin Trudeau. We request change," Poilievre said.

Carney didn't rotation implicit successful the look of these attacks, saying Poilievre is the incorrect idiosyncratic astatine the incorrect clip with Canada staring down U.S. President Donald Trump and his commercialized war.

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

"The question successful this predetermination is who is going to win successful facing Donald Trump. We are successful a crisis, the astir superior situation of our lives. We request to respond with resounding and overwhelming strength. We request a authorities acceptable to act," Carney said, promising to beryllium laser-focused connected gathering the system successful the look of Trump's broadsides, if elected.

Poilievre denied he's a mini-Trump fig who would kowtow to the president if elected, saying he's acceptable to beryllium down with the Americans and effort to negociate a woody close distant to bring this ongoing commercialized dispute to a swift end.

He said a Conservative authorities would bash distant with biology regulations loathed by immoderate companies successful the vigor and natural resources sectors and turbocharge lipid and state improvement to marque Canada an vigor superpower.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was connected the onslaught passim the debate, trying to gully attraction from voters as polls amusement his party's enactment has nosedived.

He said Quebecers should crook their backs on Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, claiming a ballot for that enactment is simply a discarded due to the fact that they can't bash overmuch from the absorption benches.

"Mr. Blanchet, unfortunately, successful the past authorities you showed you were arsenic useless arsenic the monarchy," Singh said, criticizing the separatists for voting against NDP-backed authorities to enact pharmacare.

Singh besides acceptable his sights connected Poilievre, saying the Conservatives would marque heavy cuts to nationalist services to wage for his pricey projected taxation cuts.

He said Poilievre would torpedo wellness attraction arsenic portion of a thrust to find savings to springiness much wealth to the wealthy. Poilievre is pitching a sizeable middle-class taxation cut.

Singh said the Tory can't beryllium trusted to support programs that assistance the astir vulnerable.

"We privation our health-care strategy to beryllium thing similar the American one," Singh said.

Poilievre denied helium wants to marque cuts to the things Canadians trust on, saying alternatively helium would curb the government's usage of "consultants" to wage for billions of dollars worthy of caller promises.

Singh besides targeted Carney with different anti-monarchy remark saying the Liberal person had clip to conscionable with King Charles during a caller travel to the U.K. but hasn't boosted however overmuch wealth is disposable to the unemployed done employment security (EI).