After a lively debate that saw some testy exchanges between party leaders, a consultant who coaches political candidates said all three candidates performed well, but may not have done enough to change public perceptions about their respective campaigns.
Allan Bonner, a crisis communications professional who has worked with heads of government and Nobel Prize winners, said Premier Christy Clark did enough to fend off the two party leaders looking to unseat the BC Liberals.
Bonner called Clark “a polished and controlled and confident performer from all of the years on radio,” but said she “didn’t perform as well as I thought she would.”
Global BC Victoria bureau chief Keith Baldrey said Green Leader Andrew Weaver “brought his A-game,” improving on his performance during the radio debate in which he appeared detached.
“He has to be happy with his performance.”
WATCH: Keith Baldrey’s analysis of the BC Leaders’ Debate 2017
Bonner felt Weaver came off as “agitated while he was accusing the NDP leader of being agitated” but noted that the Green leader “sounds and acts much better when he’s agitated than when he’s calm.”
Horgan’s temperament was singled out by the moderator, who asked him if he has an anger-management problem.
Horgan said he gets angry when he sees government inaction on a range of issues from underfunding of schools to a lack of support for children in care, which has resulted in suicide.
“I’m passionate. I got involved in public life because I wanted to make life better for people,” he said.
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Weaver asks Horgan: ‘Did you just say the BC Liberals are going to win the next election?’
Bonner said Horgan “appeared to be calm, cool and collected but he did, in a slip of the tongue, say the party that’s going to win the election took a lot of campaign donations. He essentially conceded defeat to the Liberals.”
Bonner noted Horgan’s message seemed to echo the BC NDP’s message when they successfully took on the Social Credit Party in the 1970s.
Bonner noted Wednesday’s debate highlighted how political debates have changed over the years.
FULL COVERAGE: B.C. election 2017
He noted that the candidates’ opening and closing statements during Wednesday’s debate lasted around a minute. Opening and closing remarks during the 1960 presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon – the first televised debate in U.S. history – lasted eight minutes.
“Nobody has the attention span to listen to eight minutes anymore,” Bonner said.
“In the opening eight minutes of those debates there was an economic discourse that you could have published in the Wall Street Journal.
“We didn’t get that level of economic excellence and acumen in this particular debate.”
— With files from Jesse Ferreras and The Canadian Press
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