French language debate last chance to sway Quebec voters

OTTAWA — Four of the federal party leaders square off tonight in what may be their last high-profile opportunity to influence Quebec voters.
The French language debate in Montreal, hosted by the TVA network, comes amid recent polls that suggest New Democrat support in Quebec is loosening, giving the other parties an opening to draw more voters to their camps.
One issue certain to produce a spirited debate is religious accommodation and the wearing of niqabs during citizenship ceremonies — an issue that appears to have spurred more than just anti-Islamic rhetoric in Quebec.
A pair of teens tore the headscarf from a pregnant woman in Montreal this week, causing her to fall on the ground. The incident prompted the Quebec national assembly to pass a unanimous motion Thursday condemning hate speech and violence against all Quebecers.
There is broad support in Quebec for the Conservative and Bloc Quebecois position that women wearing the niqab should be forced to remove it when swearing the oath.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair holds the opposing view that women should be able to choose how they dress and is likely to again draw fire from Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, as he did in the first French-language debate a week ago.
Duceppe’s debate performance could go a long way in determining whether the Bloc can woo back voters who deserted the party en masse in 2011 and migrated to the NDP under Jack Layton.
For his part, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will likely try to focus the debate on his deficit-friendly spending plan as he did Thursday in Montreal when he promised money for transit projects to help boost the economy and create jobs.
Another hot issue in Quebec is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with the dairy industry in the province fearing the deal will weaken the supply management system of tariffs and production quotas.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised on Tuesday to preserve Canada’s long-standing protection of the dairy and auto industries and will likely reiterate that pledge during the debate.
Green party Leader Elizabeth May was not invited to participate.