Political sparks could fly at election debate
Posted Apr 12, 2011 7:56 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s time to see who has what it takes in the political ring, with the English-language leaders’ debate happening Tuesday night in Ottawa.
The debate goes from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. MST and can be watched on CBC, CTV and Global.
Four of the five main political leaders will face off in the one-and-only English-language debate of this campaign.
The debates are critical to attracting the swing voter group that has so far been stagnant.
“This is very important; this is like a job interview,” political communications expert Allan Bonner says.
He said all Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has to do is hold his own against the barrage of attacks and he should come out on top.
But many eyes will be on Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, who is new to this and has everything to prove.
“The old Muhammad Ali strategy; you have to whoop the champion, you have to whoop the prime minister,” Bonner says.
Bonner added that NDP Leader Jack Layton and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe will likely attack everyone to try and stand out.
But the key will be in round three of the one-on-ones when Harper and Ignatieff go toe-to-toe. The winner of that could instantly sway the momentum of this campaign to their side.
There might not be a lot of swing votes to find in Calgary though.
Most of the early morning commuters we polled at the Crowfoot C-Train station on Tuesday don’t have any specific questions in mind for the candidates.
They do, however, agree on one thing: the debates won’t help them make up their mind on who to vote for. Most have already made their decision.
