Debate Answers Carney Should Give

Answers To 7 Likely Debate Questions

Yesterday on the Scrimshaw Show, David Coletto previewed some Abacus polling around the debates and expectations. The most notable bits were the fact that only about 20% of Quebecers in his (preliminary, unweighted) sample think Mark Carney’s French isn’t good enough to be PM, but also that expectations seem to be fairly high on Carney in the English debate. As Coletto put it, Carney’s status as an elite makes people think he’ll be good at this.

Now, as Coletto also acknowledged, being an elite with a PhD and a career in the depths of economic wonkery doesn’t automatically make for a great debater. But if that’s the bar, then Carney needs to meet it. And so, let’s help.

There’s going to be a series of fairly predictable questions at the debate, whether from the moderators or from the other leaders. Some of the more policy rooted ones can be ably handled by the campaign team, but let’s go through some of the thornier political questions Carney will get in the debate and give some suggested answers, shall we? (I will try to keep each answer to around 150 words, in other words a 60 second answer.)

“As a longtime advocate for carbon taxes who has called for higher carbon taxes before, why should any Canadian believe your change of heart?”

“I care far more about effective climate action, reducing emissions, creating an investment climate that’s conducive to clean energy investments, and promoting new sustainable technologies than I do any specific mechanism. It is clear that the carbon tax was doing more damage to the cause of climate action than good, and there’s no sense in sticking our head in the sand and pretending that everything is fine. Canadians made clear they want a different climate policy, and it’s our job to listen to Canadians and find a path forward they’ll support.

We live in a democracy, and that means listening to Canadians. There’s nothing principled or virtuous in pretending that just because you disagree with Canadians they’re wrong. Climate change will give us opportunities to grow our economy and it’s more important to stay focused on those opportunities than die on the hill of carbon taxes.”

“You said that Paul Chiang’s comments about handing over a Conservative candidate to the Chinese for a million dollar bounty was a ‘Teachable Moment’ and you were prepared to support him staying as a Liberal candidate. Why should Canadians tolerate those comments?”

“Those comments were reprehensible, unacceptable, and I’m glad that Paul has apologized for them. I stood by Paul because he’s been a public servant, a devoted community member, and an institution in Markham for 30 years, and I’m unsure that one comment, as reprehensible and terrible as it was, should invalidate that entire career of service.

If we’re honest, every one of us on this stage and everyone watching has said things they regret or made jokes they regret. If we judged everybody by their worst comment or most crass joke we’d lose out on a lot of good people running for office or putting their name forward in all walks of life, and that’s not a solution to the very real problems of discrimination and bigotry. That said, there’s no excusing the language he used and all Canadians must stand up to foreign interference and hostile governments.”

“In your time as Chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield opened green funds that were domiciled in Bermuda and moved its headquarters to the US. How can Canadians trust you’ll stand up for them given these decisions?”

“When I worked at Brookfield, I had an obligation both to the shareholders and to the clients whose money we were managing. Now, as Prime Minister, my obligation is to the Canadian people. One of the advantages of a Prime Minister who has worked in the private sector and has seen how these sorts of investment decisions are made is I know how to make Canada more competitive and more attractive to investors.

My time at Brookfield, as well as my time at the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, mean that I have a better understanding of what we need to do to grow our economy, raise Canadian wages, and actualize all of the untapped potential Canada has to offer. I know what makes companies choose other destinations, I know what we need to do to become more productive, more competitive, and to build the strongest economy in the G7.”

“The Liberal Party has governed for the last 9 years. Why should Canadians trust that re-electing a Liberal government will see different results?”

“My predecessor achieved quite a lot for Canadians, but it’s undeniable that mistakes were made. Canadians can be clear that as an outsider, I am not committed to bad ideas just because they were first enacted by a Liberal government. One of the things I’ve learned in 40 years across the private and public sectors is that one of the greatest barriers to success is stubbornness. I look forward to building on this government’s many successes, like child care, the Canada Child Benefit, dental care and Pharmacare. That doesn’t mean, however, I won’t be willing to take tough decisions and make changes where they erred.

That said, we have to look forward, and the choice before us at this election is about the challenges we face now, and how we handle Trump and create the global partnerships to grow this economy and fight back against the Americans, and in that I’m honoured to continue the good work.”

“Danielle Smith has warned that if the next government does not comply with her list of demands within the first six months, another Fair Deal panel will be struck. What’s your response to Premier Smith?”

“As someone who was raised in Edmonton, I’m obviously aware of the depth of feeling in Alberta about these issues. That's why I’m going to make it easier for major projects to pass review, that’s why I want to work collaboratively with leaders across Canada to break down barriers, and why I want to help Alberta diversify their markets, not just for oil. That said, I’m running to be the Prime Minister of Canada, not the Prime Minister of Alberta.

Being part of a nation means doing what’s in the national interest, whether that’s building pipelines to tidewater or defending Ontario auto workers and Quebec steelworkers. I will do what is in the national interest, and if Premier Smith has a problem with it, she has every right to do what she likes. But I’m never going to waver in my commitment to act in the national interest.”

“The Housing crisis has worsened under 9 years of Liberal government, with rent costs doubling. Why should Canadians suddenly believe you can solve this crisis that you’ve created?”

“The problems in the housing market go back beyond this government, but we’ve made clear that it’s a top priority of this government. There’s a reason we’ve pulled out every tool in the toolkit to solve the crisis, from regulatory reforms and cutting expensive development charges that stop development to investments in modular and prefab housing to cut costs and timeframes, as well as launching a public builder that will build affordable homes for Canadians.

We know at a time of crisis we cannot put ideology ahead of progress. We are not beholden to purity, our only objective is to build, to ensure that Canadians can pay less for rent so they have more for the rest of life. That’s why we’ve made the investments we’ve made and why we’re going to continue to treat this like the crisis it is.”

“Quebec’s Bill 96 has been described by critics as an attack on English language rights. You’ve signalled willingness to intervene in support of English Quebecers. How do you square that with respecting provincial jurisdiction and autonomy?”

“Protecting the French language is obviously paramount for any government, Federally or in Quebec, but that doesn’t have to come at the expense of English. I look forward to working collaboratively with the Government of Quebec to strengthen the French language and to ensure its vitality for generations to come.

That said, it’s also entirely consistent with Canadian values that we respect minorities. Just like Francophones in Alberta or Newfoundland deserve respect, so do Anglophone Quebecers, and I look forward to proving that there is no contradiction in defending the French language and supporting Anglo communities in Quebec.”