Front-runners grilled on mega-popular Quebec talk show
Hello! It’s Jenna, your morning live page writer.
It’s debate week in Montreal. Yesterday, Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre were put under the microscope with appearances on Tout le monde en parle, the ultra-popular talk show hosted by Radio-Canada’s Guy A. Lepage.
Both are campaigning this week in Quebec, where they’ll navigate a unique political landscape in an attempt to win over Francophone voters. The province sends the second-highest number of MPs to Parliament after Ontario.
Carney — who has made several Quebec-related gaffes throughout the campaign and faced criticism in some corners over the quality of his French — defended his knowledge of the language and was quizzed on the province’s culture. He was also challenged on the economy, pipelines and Bill 21, Quebec’s secularism law.
Poilievre, meanwhile, faced questions over the perception in Quebec that he bears too many similarities to Donald Trump, and whether he’s the right person to negotiate with the U.S. president. The Conservative leader contrasted his “modest” upbringing with Trump’s inherited family wealth. He was also asked about his pledge to maintain Radio-Canada but defund the CBC.
The Liberals currently have a comfortable lead in Quebec, according to CBC’s Poll Tracker, with the Conservatives a distant second and the Bloc Québécois in third. Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet is set to appear on Tour le monde en parle next Sunday.