After weeks of anticipation for tonight’s contest, it turned out to be a relatively subdued affair. There were some notable moments and a few good zingers, but ultimately not a lot of fireworks.
There were no personal attacks, despite obvious tension between some of the leaders, and the crosstalk never descended into shouting matches — always a risk with a format that allows for open debate.
There were fairly substantial discussions on a number of key issues, such as pipelines and how to deal with Trump. Whether any of that will move the needle for the party leaders in Quebec or elsewhere in Canada remains to be seen.
The question people always ask after debates is: who won? Party devotees will have their answers, but tonight’s debate might be best described as a draw. None of the leaders made any obviously disastrous missteps, but neither did we see a clear victor emerge.
Now the country’s collective eye turns to tomorrow, when the leaders meet again for an English-language debate.
With the campaign nearing its final week, the stakes are sky high — so we may get some of those fireworks after all.
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