Debate format could be key for opposition to turn Tory lead
Posted Apr 12, 2011 07:37:33 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Format changes for Tuesday’s leaders’ debate will put Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff face-to-face and one-on-one for at least part of the showdown.
The debate, which will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET, will pit the leaders directly against each other for several minutes at a time, with one-on-ones.
The debate will consist of six segments, and each will begin with a pre-recorded audience question asked on video.
Then, two leaders — determined in advance — will go one-on-one for six minutes until the others join in for a 12-minute round.
The one-on-one debates will take place in this order:
- Harper vs. Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe
- Ignatieff vs. NDP Leader Jack Layton
- Harper vs. Ignatieff
- Duceppe vs. Layton
- Ignatieff vs. Duceppe
- Layton vs. Harper
The latest Nanos tracking poll showed the Liberals gaining momentum. They are up four points to 32 per cent, while the Conservatives are down one to 39.8 per cent — that leaves a gap of only seven points heading into the debate.
Ignatieff could turn this campaign around with a one-on-one knock-out punch against Harper that will make news and stay in the news for the next few days — we haven’t seen one since the Brian Mulroney-John Turner debates in 1984 and 1986.
The “you had an option, sir” moment for Mulroney is credited with helping to bury the Liberals for about eight years, which led to two consecutive majority Conservative governments.
The French-language debate will be held on April 13, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET. The format will be the same as the English-language one. It will be aired on RDI, TVA, CBC News and CTV (the latter two with English translation).
About eight million watched the English and French debates during the last election.
