With polls showing Liberal Leader Mark Carney is the front-runner in this federal election, the other three main party leaders on stage for Thursday's English-language debate spent much of the contest trying to tear him down.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took aim at Carney early on in the high-stakes debate, saying his government would not be all that different from the one led by his unpopular predecessor, former prime minister Justin Trudeau. He urged voters to make a change.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was chippy throughout the debate, frequently interrupting Poilievre and Carney as he jockeys to get noticed while polls show support for his party has cratered. He spent much of his time trying to paint Carney as an out-of-touch elite who will cut public services.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet was on a similar message track, accusing Carney of being a corporate bigwig who won't stand up for Quebec's interests.
Carney held his own in the face of the onslaught, trying to portray himself as the adult in the room who is best placed to help steer Canada through a period of tremendous upheaval with its once-solid relationship with the U.S. in tatters and the economy on shaky ground.
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