Economic debate prep
Get ready for Round Two.
Thursday's debate marks the second time since the election was called that party leaders will face off in a debate, but this one's got a twist — it's focused solely on the economy.
Despite this month's confirmation that the country is in a 'technical recession', the Conservative election campaign was buoyed by news earlier this week of a $1.9 billion surplus for the last fiscal year.
So does that give the Conservatives the edge going into Thursday's debate? Or will the NDP or Liberals mount a convincing argument against "staying the course" — and choosing change?
To talk about all this, we reconvened our panel of debate experts. Scott Reid is the former deputy chief of staff to Paul Martin and the communications lead for the 2006 Liberal campaign. David McLachlin is the former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney, and Kathleen Monk is the former director of strategic communications for Jack Layton.
They'll be back on The House this Saturday to recap the debate and discuss whose predictions turned out to be true.
What does Conservative Leader Stephen Harper have to do accomplish in the debate?
DM: He needs to show that he is the right economic manager with the right economic plan for the country. He has to make the case for why his plan is the right plan going forward, and not jus talk about why it's been a good plan in the pas. He's got to get the future piece in there.
SR: If I was him, I'd come out swinging like iron Mike Tyson. I'd do something he typically doesn't do, and instead of being tranquil, being the reasonable sounding guy, I'd go hard at the others.
What about NDP Leader Tom Mulcair?
KM: Tom Mulcair really has to play the experience card and draw on the history of the [NDP's] balanced budgets, the 'prairie pragmatism', so to speak. He needs to compare his fiscal plan against the other 'change' agent in the election, Justin Trudeau.
DM: [Releasing the fiscal plan] was a good thing for him to do. It takes some of the question marks away. At least Mulcair now has something specific he can reference in the debate. He still has a tough road to hoe though, here. He's positioning himself as safe change. In the first debate, we saw him as more safe than change, but he's in a bit of a dog fight with Trudeau and the Liberals over the change element. For him, it's a little tougher than just a single-edge focus on one piece.
SR: If I'm Tom Mulcair, to me the number one objective is I need to define what the difference between me and Stephen Harper is on the economy. It's a bit of a challenge to do that, because we know there's a more dramatic alternative being offered by Justin Trudeau.
He also has to look like a leader, but don't look like a politician. I think it took Mulcair about halfway through that first debate [in August] to get his sea legs. I think he needs to look more natural, more animated, more real.
And Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau?
SR: For Trudeau, it's all about command. This is the big question — economic competence. He wants to market himself as change, compared to the Prime Minister. I think he needs to show he doesn't need to think about, that it comes from the gut, that he has an easy facility with the numbers, with the issues, with the vocabulary. He needs to demonstrate he's in full command of this file, because he can't look hesitant on the economy or it will be the beginning of the end.
KM: Because Trudeau hasn't put out a plan, he doesn't have the numbers to stand on and to stand behind. I think it's going to be a problem.
SR: I don't think it's going to be his Waterloo. The fundamental issue is, what's your narrative on the economy, and do you look like you have command of it? I'll make a prediction. My guess is, it's going to be a muddle and people won't know exactly who won and all that, but I think it will turn out to be a turning point.