On Oct. 7, the first of two federal leaders’ debates will be broadcast live.
Canadians will get a chance to hear from Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Green party Leader Elizabeth May, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier.
The politicians are set to speak on five issues: affordability and economic insecurity, national and global leadership, Indigenous issues, polarization, human rights and immigration, as well as environment and energy. You can bet they’ll each find ways to work in their favourite talking points and most relied on catchphrases. If you’re looking for a way to liven up your debate-watching experience, here’s a handy Bingo card.
First person to get five in a row wins… good luck!
So why do we think these words will add up to Bingo?
- Trudeau says ‘good luck’ to Saskatchewan premier in carbon price spat
- Canadians more likely to eat food past best-before date. What are the risks?
- Hundreds mourn 16-year-old Halifax homicide victim: ‘The youth are feeling it’
- Vacation death: Cuba apologizes after Canadian family receives wrong remains
- Kathleen Wynne, Stephen Harper, and Doug Ford —
The ghosts of provincial and federal leaders past and present have loomed large this campaign. Scheer has likened the Liberal’s 2019 platform to pages from former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne’s “playbook,” while Trudeau has name-dropped current Ontario Premier Doug Ford to such an extent that he was asked why Ford is his “punching bag.” As one commentator put it, Trudeau sounds very much like he’s running against former Prime Minister Harper rather than Scheer.
- “Not as advertised” —
The Conservative party launched a series of ads in the spring with the tagline: “Justin Trudeau: Not as advertised.” After news broke that Trudeau had worn blackface, a reporter used that wording, asking Trudeau, “The Conservatives say you’re not as advertised. How can you look at Canadians and tell them that’s not true?”
WATCH: Conservative Party releases attack ads against Justin Trudeau
- Pharmacare for all —
Canadians want pharmacare, and the Liberals, the NDP, and the Greens have included it in their platforms — this one should make Bingo a little easier.
- (There is no) climate emergency —
The House of Commons declared a national climate emergency earlier this year, and cities across the country have been doing the same. You can expect this to crop up since Bernier has been allowed to attend the debate. He made waves late last month when he tweeted that climate activist Greta Thunberg is too “extreme” and that there is “no climate emergency.”
WATCH: Greta Thunberg blasts world leaders at U.N. Climate summit in powerful speech
- Brownface or blackface —
After photos and video emerged showing Trudeau in brown- and blackface, the campaign trail seemed dominated by the racist act, with seemingly everyone rushing to offer their opinion. Party leaders were urged to challenge “toxic” rhetoric around blackface, while many experts pointed out it is a symptom of “deeply embedded” racism, and others highlighted the continual struggle of white Canadians to discuss race and racism. In the aftermath, May came to the defence of a Green Party candidate who also admitted to wearing blackface.
- Everyone will get a family doctor —
Even though it’s technically not one of the five issues, health care will likely come up and with it, the chances of at least two parties (The Greens and the Liberals) promising family doctors for all Canadians.
- Balancing the budget —
You can expect money to come up, with Trudeau recently saying he has no date for balancing the budget and that the Liberal focus remains on investing in Canadians. The NDP and Conservative parties have been quick to critique.
- “Earthlings!” —
“First and foremost — no other party leader is going to say this, but are you ready? — first and foremost, we are Earthlings.” That was May on day one of the federal election campaign. Her invocation of “earthlings” was in response to questions about a Green Party candidate calling for Quebec independence. May, as she does, returned the focus to climate change.
- “Canadians are struggling” —
This is just a fact; Canadians are struggling with high debt levels. Still, you can expect party leaders to bring it up since polls have shown affordability is top of mind for voters.
WATCH: Federal parties focusing on affordability
- Andrew Scheer claims to know what it’s like to raise a family on a working-class salary —
Scheer’s campaign has tried to keep the focus on the working class, selling the Conservative leader as a “kid who grew up in a townhouse, in a family that didn’t own a car, whose mother lived with her eight siblings in a two-bedroom house on a dirt road…” That approach has been widely derided online, sparking the hashtag #ScheerWasSoPoorThat.
- “(INSERT LEADER NAME HERE) won’t come clean/tell you the truth” —
This is pretty much a given. The Conservatives have accused Trudeau of lying about his record. Meanwhile, the Liberals took aim at Scheer for his stance on same-sex marriage, resurfacing an old video of the Conservative leader making controversial statements.
- Maxime Bernier says he plans to cut immigration —
Bernier has made no secret of the fact his campaign priorities are immigration and taxation. In particular, Bernier says he is against what he calls “mass immigration.”
- “Let me be clear” —
This phrase is a favourite for politicians when trying to underscore a party position. Singh used it during the first debate, while addressing the unequal funding being given to Indigenous children. Trudeau has been a fan of the line since back in 2015, when he was campaigning against Stephen Harper.
- Jagmeet Singh says, “settle for less” —
The NDP leader has repeatedly pushed back on the narrative that this election is a choice between the Liberals and Tories. “Mr. Trudeau is going to scare you and say you have to settle for less, but you don’t have to settle for less.”
- Carbon tax —
The carbon tax has proven a pretty contentious election issue, with the Conservative party promising to repeal it if elected, even claiming it has been “proven to fail.” Here’s a breakdown of where all the federal parties stand on the issue.
WATCH: Fighting disinformation on carbon tax
- SNC-Lavalin —
Scheer picked up the Liberal scandal that rocked Parliament Hill for months earlier this year, promising to call a judicial inquiry into the affair if elected.
- Andrew Scheer says “the plan for you to get ahead” —
Scheer’s campaign revolves around all the ways the Conservative party will help you get ahead.
- Pipelines! Alberta! Oil! —
Scheer has promised pipelines will get built if the Conservative party is elected, pitching Canadians on a national “energy corridor” during a campaign stop in Edmonton. However, experts have poured cold water over his promise to “fast-track” oil pipeline objections to the Supreme Court. Singh, on the other hand, has spoken about a “collaborative approach” with Indigenous communities when it comes to approving national energy projects.
- Trump —
The impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump loom over the Canadian election. Singh has said he will be “strong” for Canada when working with Trump, while Scheer’s focus so far has been to critique Trudeau’s government’s handling of negotiations on the North American trade pact. Trudeau, meanwhile, has promised that revenues from the Trans Mountain pipeline would be used to plant two billion trees.
- Someone mentions Bill 21 —
Federal leaders were repeatedly pushed on their positions on Quebec’s Bill 21, which bans religious symbols for some public-sector employees. Fifty-two per cent of Canadians said they would oppose a bill that would restrict or disallow religious clothing or gear for public employees, according to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos for Global News. And yet, for the most part growing criticism hasn’t resulted in stronger public stances.
WATCH: Trudeau, Singh and Scheer speak about Bill 21 on the campaign trail
- Jagmeet Singh is asked a question about being the only leadership candidate of colour —
He’ll be asked about this for a few reasons: 1) he has made combating racism and Islamophobia part of his plan, 2) all eyes turned to him after it was revealed that Trudeau wore blackface multiple times, and 3) because the “racism card” was brought up during the controversy between the NDP and Green Party in New Brunswick.
WATCH: ‘I want folks to know they do belong,’ says Singh following Trudeau’s blackface scandal
- Justin Trudeau says he lifted children out of poverty —
He’ll say it because it’s a good news story, one he’s happily shared before as evidence of his government’s success with the Canada Child Benefit.
WATCH: Trudeau says government has helped children with tax benefit, reached new NAFTA deal
See below: How often the #CanadaDebates2019 hashtag has been used
Comments