Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
TORONTO — New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair said Friday he was thrilled with the way his first national election debate went despite some awkward lapses in his train of thought.
Mulcair also laid out clear conditions for taking part in any more debates, including that Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper take part along with the other main party leaders.
“Of course, I’m going to take part when the prime minister’s there,” Mulcair said after an early morning campaign event. “He’s the person that I want to defeat and replace.”
Mulcair, who only took the reins of his party in 2012 — well after the last federal election in 2011 — said debates such as the one on Thursday evening contribute to democracy.
He called it a “worthwhile exercise” and said he looked forward to several more but insisted there should also be an equal number of debates in English and French.
“There are two official languages in this country, and one of those languages is not more equal than the other,” he said.
“As prime minister, I’m going to make sure that the reality and equality of our official languages is understood, and I have to start sending a clear signal now.”
While Harper can speak French, Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau are fluently bilingual, speaking both languages with native proficiency.
Mulcair’s final condition for further debates — he said the parties have received about 25 proposals to date — was that the organizers be non-partisan.
“That should go without saying,” he said, “But sometimes what goes without saying goes even better when you say it.”
As a result, whether there will be four or six debates on a wide range of topics, he said, will depend on whether his conditions can be met.
Mulcair urged Harper to agree to the traditional televised debate organized by a consortium of broadcasters — something the prime minister has indicated he would not do.
The NDP leader, which polls suggest is the front-runner for the Oct. 19 vote, said he accomplished what he set out to do in Thursday’s debate organized by Maclean’s magazine — both his first and the first of the campaign.
The goal, he said, was to speak directly to Canadians and show them that Harper’s economic plan has failed.
“Mr. Harper finally admitted it: We are in a second recession,” Mulcair said.
“It was my first debate and I quite enjoyed the experience and I’m looking forward to more.”
He also repeated NDP policies he said would get the economy moving, such as cutting taxes for small businesses.
