The six candidates vying to lead the Conservative Party of Canada will meet tonight for the first official debate in the leadership race, an event that promises a dramatic clash of ideologies that could shape the Conservatives’ chances in the next federal election.
The event will be held from 20:00 to 22:00 ET at the Edmonton Convention Center.
You can watch a special live broadcast of the event, which starts at 17:00 ET on this page, on the CBC News Network or on the CBC Gem.
What to expect
Canadians saw a preview of last week’s event as five of the six candidates took part in a debate in Ottawa hosted by Canada’s Strong and Free Network. The debate was informal in the sense that it was not organized by the Conservative Party’s own steering committee.
This debate quickly turned into an unusually aggressive match of malice, marked by personal attacks, shouts and interruptions.
Conservative MP Pierre Poalever has threatened former Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest for his previous lobbying work for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei and described him as a masked liberal who likes to raise taxes.
Claiming to be the candidate best positioned to attract voters in cities and suburbs, Charest returned to the conservative election proposal of 2015 to establish “barbaric cultural practices” as proof that the party has deviated. by many Canadians.
Conservative nominees Jean Charest and Pierre Poalever focused their attention and attacks on each other during a debate last week in Ottawa. (Adrian Wilde / Canadian Press)
Melanie Paradis, a former senior official with outgoing leader Erin O’Toole, said she expects tonight to be a repeat of what she called the first “sharp elbow” debate.
“The teams didn’t see it as a mistake on their part. It was their plan and I think some of the teams will double that approach,” she told CBC News.
Two candidates – MP Leslin Lewis and former Ontario MP Roman Baber – are likely to fight again for a position on the right of Poalievre, arguing that they are best placed to defend the freedoms and liberties of Canadians.
Lewis accused Poilievre of failing to adequately support the vaccine convoy that occupies much of downtown Ottawa this winter.
MP Scott Aichison, who last week highlighted the candidates’ propensity to “shout and shout at each other”, may again prove to attract calm and seriousness.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown – the only candidate to miss last week’s debate – will be on stage with other candidates for the first time tonight. Brown and Polievre exchanged personal attacks during the campaign, but have not yet met face to face.
On Wednesday morning, Baber issued a statement pledging to end Canada’s equalization program and replace it with a tax cut if he becomes prime minister.
“Equalization rewards provinces for refusing to develop their natural resources and promotes dependence. Together with our provincial partners, we will make Canada a superpower of natural resources,” Baber said in a statement.
Lightning circles and extended one-on-one exchanges
The two-hour debate will include five sections with different and in some cases quite complex rules.
In the opening round, candidates will submit remarks no longer than 45 seconds based on the prompt: “My vision for Canada is …”
No one will have the right to mention the names of other candidates or leaders of a political party during this section.
The debate will then move on to the sections that the organizers call “rapid fire” and “lightning circle”, in which candidates will be asked the same questions at the same time and must answer yes or no.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown will appear before his rivals for leadership for the first time tonight after rejecting an invitation to an informal debate last week. (Chris Young / Canadian Press)
In the lightning round, candidates will have 15 seconds to answer questions from moderator Tom Clark, a veteran and former political journalist.
The debate will then move on to the most dramatic and confrontational part – the one in which the moderator will address questions to individual candidates on the basis of equality.
During this section, each selected candidate for a question will be allowed to select another candidate for a one-on-one debate.
These exchanges will later be expanded to include other candidates on the scene. They will be asked to weigh with the help of a “refutation paddle”, which can only be used a limited number of times.
The debate will end with concluding remarks by the candidates, explaining why they want to lead the Conservatives.
Candidates should stand for at least one more debate
The candidates will meet again on May 25 in Montreal for a debate in French, before resuming campaigns that will continue for most of the summer.
No further debate is planned, although the party says it reserves the right to hold a third debate in late August.
Conservative members will vote for their third permanent leader in five years at a congress on September 10.
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