Liberal leadership hopefuls pitch themselves as best person to take on Trump
Candidates squared off in French debate, English debate will be held Tuesday
The four candidates vying to be the next Liberal leader and prime minister pitched themselves to supporters as the best person to handle relations with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Canada-U.S. relations was the first topic of discussion as the contenders to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau squared off in the Liberal Party's French-language debate. Monday's showdown came just hours after hours after Trump said he will go forward with a 25 per cent tariff on most imports from Canada next week.
Former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland argued she has handled Trump in the past and can do it again. Freeland was the lead minister during the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) negotiations during Trump's first term.
"This is not the first time Mr. Trump is threatening us with tariffs … we responded with counter-tariffs, dollar-for-dollar, and at the end of the day we won," she said.
"Our response has to be intelligent and if we remain united, we will win. I know how to do that."
Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney rebutted by saying Trump is a different beast than he was during his first four years in the White House.
"He's more aggressive. In the past he wanted our markets. Now he wants our country," Carney said in reference to Trump's talk of making Canada the 51st state.
Carney said the focus should instead be on fostering Canada's economy by removing trade barriers between provinces.
Karina Gould and Frank Baylis both pointed to their past experiences — as the former government House leader and a successful businessman, respectively — to handle the Trump relationship.
"What the president does respect is strength and I know how to respond to people I don't agree with," Gould said, referring to her taking on the Conservatives in the House.
"I've already negotiated hundreds of contracts with Americans and from time-to-time I've seen Mr. Trump's character at work and I know how to deal with him," Baylis said.
Carney came into the debate as the perceived front-runner, having locked up the most donations and caucus endorsements, but questions swirled about his French proficiency.
Carney had a noticeable slip up fairly early on during a segment on Gaza. In an attempt to say he agreed with previous comments on Hamas, he accidentally said "we all agree with Hamas." Freeland quickly jumped in to correct him.
Speaking to reporters after the debate, Carney addressed the slip up and stated clearly that he believes Hamas has no role in the future of Gaza. He also dismissed concerns about debating other federal leaders should Liberals elect him to the party's top job.
Conservatives criticized the former central banker's gaffe on social media.
"A prime minister must be able to say Canada does NOT [agree with Hamas]. Apparently, he can't," Conservative MP Michael Barrett wrote on X.
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, who has endorsed Freeland, took to social media to defend Carney.
"It is not easy to debate in a second language. No matter how fluent you are. Everyone watching the debate knows [Carney] was agreeing with the previous speakers to say Hamas can have no role in the future of Gaza. Disgusting to see people trying to pretend otherwise," he wrote.
It is not easy to debate in a second language. No matter how fluent you are. Everyone watching the debate knows <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkJCarney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarkJCarney</a> was agreeing with the previous speakers to say Hamas can have no role in the future of Gaza. Disgusting to see people trying to pretend otherwise.
—@AHousefatherThe debate overall was fairly cordial with the candidates saying multiple times that they agree with one another.
In addition to Canada-U.S. relations, the candidates discussed growing the economy, protecting the environment while securing Canada's energy future, affordability, housing, health care and other issues.
When asked after the debate about the considerable agreement between the candidates, Freeland referred to the leadership contest as a "race inside the family."
"The thing that we agree on above all is that, right now, [Conservative Leader] Pierre Poilievre cannot win the next election. He is not the guy to stand up to Trump," she said, before touting her own candidacy.
"I am the woman for the job. I uniquely recognize the threat that Trump poses to Canada today."
During a discussion on bilingualism, Quebec and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Baylis came out as the most forceful on two controversial pieces of Quebec legislation.
The former Montreal MP said both Bill 21 — which bars certain Quebec public employees from wearing religious symbols — and Bill 96 — which restricts the use of English — are discriminatory.
"I'm someone who's always stood up for human rights," Baylis told reporters in English after the debate.
"It's completely unacceptable … and we've been fighting this law from the very beginning," he said, referencing his involvement in the activist group Non à la Loi 21 (No to Bill 21).
Baylis also said he is against Bill 96 but supports proactive promotion of the French language.
Future of the carbon tax
Three of the four contenders have promised to drop one of the Trudeau government's key environmental policies: the consumer carbon tax.
Gould is the only one who says she would keep the levy, though she has said she would halt further increases. When asked about the carbon tax, Gould argued that the policy makes up a significant portion of the government's plan to reduce emissions.
"As a mother of two children I cannot allow the planet to burn," she said in defence of the carbon tax.
"When Canadians say that they don't agree with the price on pollution, it's really a question of affordability right now. So we need to deal with affordability."
Freeland argued that Canadians have been clear that they don't want the consumer carbon tax and that the party needs to get rid of it in order to take on Poilievre who has consistently attacked the policy.
"It's very important for us as a political party to listen to Canadians," she said.
"We have to win against Pierre Poilievre and with Pierre Poilievre, we lose everything."
Baylis and Carney both said they would get rid of the consumer tax and instead focus on incentivizing clean energy.
Candidates were given 90 seconds off the top to make an opening statement.
Baylis, arguably the candidate with the lowest public profile, kicked things off by introducing himself to voters by citing his past experience as an engineer and talking up his business chops.
The former MP presented himself as a man with a plan and cited his top three priorities should he win the leadership: building a strong economy, improving health care and modernizing government.
"I recognize that collectively we're facing important challenges. Having said that, I'm very optimistic for the future," he said.
Gould used her opening time to present herself as someone who comes from a middle-class family and understands Canadian's concerns about the cost of living. She also positioned herself as being able to take on "our version of Trump here in Canada" in reference to Poilievre.
"I decided to go into politics to help my fellow Canadians … our adversaries say that Canada is broken. But we know that this is a wonderful country," she said.
Freeland focused on the Trump issue right off the bat, reciting an anecdote about a young girl asking her about stopping the U.S. president from "invading our country."
"Trump represents the greatest threat to Canada since the Second World War," she said.
"We need a leader who understands the seriousness of these challenges and how to face them … I will fight for us. I will fight for Canada."
Carney focused much of his opening message on the economic issues and suggested his past experience as a central banker makes him the best person to grow Canada's economy.
"I know how to build a strong economy. There is a lot of uncertainty and in a crisis there are a lot of things you can't control. But you have to focus on the things you can control," he said.
"We are the masters of our own house and I know we can control our own economic destiny."
Dhalla disqualified
All four contenders cleared their final financial hurdle last week and will be on the ballot to replace Trudeau.
A fifth would-be candidate, Ruby Dhalla had been billing herself as the true outsider in the race. She was set to be a limited participant in the first debate after the party denied her request for a French interpreter.
On Friday, a Liberal Party committee voted to disqualify her as a candidate for violating the race's rules. Dhalla appealed that decision but the party announced Monday it is upholding her disqualification.
"This evening, after an exchange of written submissions and an oral hearing, the Liberal Party of Canada's Permanent Appeals Committee confirmed the decision of the Leadership Vote Committee to disqualify Dr. Ruby Dhalla from the 2025 Liberal leadership race," a news release from the party said.
"The party will have no further comment on this matter at this time."
Monday's debate will be followed by an English-language debate on Tuesday. The debates will be the only time all four candidates share a stage before Liberals elect their new leader on March 9.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
