Cliff note version of the debate

[Suka]

A little tongue in cheek, but good article, summed it up quite well.

The real meaning of Thursday’s federal leaders’ debate

The leaders of the three main parties met to debate the economy in Calgary Thursday night. The following is a heavily edited transcript of the proceedings.

Moderator: Good evening and welcome to the Globe and Mail debate on the economy, brought to you by the Globe and Mail and featuring the Globe and Mail. Before we bring out the three leaders, let’s pause for about half an hour of uncomfortable banter between our Globe and Mail writers.

… And we’re back. We have some tough, indeed almost incomprehensible questions for the leaders this evening, so let’s get right to it. First question to you Mr. Harper.

What is your personal plan to create jobs — I mean real jobs, not just taking things out of the ground. Oh, and a shoutout to the good people of Calgary!


Harper: Well, look, obviously, I’ve been very clear. Keep our taxes down, and budgets balanced. I’ve never said things are great. There’s a lot of instability. Out there, I mean, not here. Look, we can do more, but we probably shouldn’t. The other guys would raise taxes and run permanent deficits. Whereas we’d —

Moderator: — keep taxes down and budgets balanced, yes. Mr. Mulcair? What’s your plan?

Mulcair: Mr. Harper. Has put. All of our eggs. In one basket. 400,000 manufacturing jobs lost. We have a plan to kick-start the economy, by creating one million affordable child care spaces.

Moderator: OK, Mr. Trudeau, please lead off the open-floor part of the debate.

Trudeau: WHAT MR. HARPER FAILS TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THIS ELECTION IS ABOUT JOBS. WE HAVE A PLAN TO KICK-START THE ECONOMY.

Mulcair: Hey, I just said —

Trudeau: ARE YOU BETTER OFF THAN —

Harper: — you would rather have been the last 10 years?

Trudeau: GROW THE ECONOMY.

Harper: Backbone of the middle class.


Moderator: Well, this is a good ding-dong. Mr. Mulcair?

Mulcair: We are not going to put this on the backs of future generations. The prime minister is hitting the snooze button, Mr. Trudeau is hitting the panic button.

Trudeau: WAKE-UP CALL.

Mulcair: We have a costed plan.

Harper: Payroll taxes. 250,000 jobs.

All: XXCHXJKFKJDFLFDFDDSKEKDKJXHFYK.

Moderator: Question two. Mr. Mulcair, a very simple question: How much would your carbon pricing plan cost?

Mulcair: Yes, we’ve always believed that the best way to reduce greenhouse gases is a cap and trade system.

Moderator: Yes, but how much would it cost?

Mulcair: These are basic principes of sustainable development. But there is more and more information available. Absolutely.

Moderator: Mr. Harper, your turn to start off the open-floor debate.

Harper: Well, look, I would just point out, obviously, that I’ve been very clear. I’ll just say this. Ours is the first government in Canadian history —

Trudeau: THAT’S NOT TRUE, MR. HARPER.

Harper: — that has reduced greenhouse gas emissions while the economy grew. We didn’t do that through costly carbon tax schemes. We did it with even costlier regulatory schemes.

Mulcair: Pipelines to tidewater. We must favour at least one.

Trudeau: MR. HARPER DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CANNOT BUILD A STRONG ECONOMY — THAT IS, YOU CAN PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT — ANYWAY YOU CAN DO BOTH.

Mulcair: It’s exactly the opposite.

All: CHXFKKCJKXXCKKKHHJDKKHCXCX.

Moderator: Question three. Mr. Trudeau: You’ve committed to running deficits of $10 billion a year to fund your infrastructure plan, arguing that at today’s low interest rates the returns in higher productivity would exceed financing costs. My question: If you were a tree, what sort of tree would you be?

Trudeau: WHAT?

Moderator: I told you they were tough questions.

Related
Harper on defensive after Trudeau says ‘old stock’ comment shows Tory leader uses ‘politics of division’
Robyn Urback: Only loser in this tire fire of a debate was the guy who tuned in hoping to learn something
John Ivison: A little Angry Tom goes a long way as Mulcair outpoints rivals
Michael Den Tandt: Tepid debate shows why parties are neck and neck in polls
Trudeau: MODEST DEFICITS. WE’RE THE ONLY PARTY THAT’S SAID YES. MR. HARPER HAS THE WORST JOB CREATION RATE SINCE WORLD WAR II. WE CAN’T WAIT FOR MR. MULCAIR TO PUT THINGS OFF FOR THREE, FIVE, 20 YEARS. WE HAVE TO START PUTTING THINGS OFF NOW.

Moderator: Mr. Harper, is Mr. Trudeau on something?

Harper: At a guess. Look, keep taxes low, budgets balanced.

Moderator: Open-floor.

Trudeau: WORST JOB CREATION RECORD!

Mulcair: Backs of future generations!

Trudeau: RAISE TAXES ON THE WEALTHIEST CANADIANS!

Mulcair: On the large corporations!

Harper: Guys? Guys? I’m over here.

All: CJKKCXXXVHDHFKKDSVIIEDKDCJJDD.

Moderator: So there you have it. Three very different views, very clearly expressed, in the course of a very stimulating two hours. There’s really not much more to say, is there? So let’s go to another couple of hours of analysis …

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-co...leaders-debate