SASKATOON — A dozen Conservative candidates took the stage Wednesday night in Saskatoon for the first of five leadership debates.
The event, held at the Delta Bessborough in Saskatoon, marked the start of a new phase in the contest for the leadership, to be decided by a vote of party members May 27, 2017.
Up to now, the focus of the race had been on who might enter, as well as the formation of campaign teams and fundraising efforts.
But with the start of leadership debates, candidates are clearly now focused on staking out their positions and getting votes.
That was evident Wednesday. With so many candidates on the stage, all of them having filed the initial $25,000 registration fee, the contenders seemed most interested in trying to position themselves and stand out from the rest of the field in any way possible.
It was clear from the outset there was considerable support in the room for Andrew Scheer and Brad Trost — the two Saskatchewan candidates in the race.
Trost’s message Wednesday night pledged to include and represent, as he put it, “every part of the Conservative coalition.”
“We need 100 per cent of Conservatives to win, I am 100 per cent Conservative,” said Trost.
Scheer, former Speaker of the House, seemed interested in showing Conservatives he could play the partisan game as well as the others as he often targeted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the night.
“I can’t let Justin Trudeau do to my kids what his father did to my generation,” Scheer said in his opening remarks.
Others on stage would take their turns blasting Trudeau, with Durham MP Erin O’Toole taking aim at him for government spending.
“Justin Trudeau learned a lesson. Budgets don’t balance themselves, do they?” O’Toole said.
Not lost on anyone in the room Wednesday night was the momentous result of the U.S. election the previous day, as businessman Donald Trump completed his stunning upset of Hillary Clinton in the presidential race.
His election drew a mixed reaction from candidates, with some concern expressed about his stance on free trade deals that involve Canada such as NAFTA.
“Last night’s election results concern all of us in this room who care about free trade,” said Michael Chong, MP for Wellington-Halton Hills. “I believe free trade is a core Conservative principle.”
At least one candidate on the stage seemed to emulate Trump’s positions — Simcoe-Grey MP and former cabinet minister Kellie Leitch.
She repeated her support for one of her key campaign planks — tougher screening of immigrants to “protect Canadian values.” Leitch also seemed to purposefully borrow some of Trump’s anti-establishment message as she referred at one point to the “growing gap between the elites in this country and the average Canadian.”
Leitch pledged a working relationship with the president-elect. “We have some common ideas,” but at the same time Leitch also expressed her support for free trade and pledged to stand up to Trump on that issue.
“I plan on being tough on him when it comes to NAFTA because that means economic prosperity for Canadians.”
On the opposite end, Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai made clear he was no fan of Trump’s views on immigration.
“Donald Trump’s divisive policy on immigration and social policy have no room in the Canada that I believe in,” he said.
Trade issues prompted lively discussion. Candidates were asked whether they supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership and widespread support was expressed.
But Trost expressed his view that the TPP “is dead. It’s a finished agreement. Anybody who’s worked with American politicians knows that.”
There was considerable talk about removing inter-provincial trade barriers. Dan Lindsay, the only candidate in the race who hasn’t held elected office, took issue with barriers faced by professionals in moving their skills from one province to another.
“We need to take down those trade barriers for people, and we need to take down those barriers for products moving across this country,” Lindsay said.
The exchange on inter-provincial trade produced one of Scheer’s best lines of the debate.
“Here in Saskatchewan we are seeing the results of a protectionist move in Alberta. They’re declaring war on Saskatchewan beer and we need to stand up for our producers here in Saskatchewan.”
Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai reminded the audience it was “the NDP government” in Alberta responsible for that move.
One of the most lively exchanges was on the carbon tax and how to lower greenhouse gas emissions. On that issue, it was Chong who stood apart from the rest of the field in pledging support for a carbon tax.
Chong said there was “a right way to reduce emissions and a wrong way,” and said he favoured emulating B.C.’s “revenue-neutral” carbon tax.
But other candidates blasted the idea of a carbon tax.
“It’s not revenue neutral in B.C.,” Maxime Bernier said, saying B.C. was using the revenue to fund special projects.
“When I become prime minister the war on oil and gas and coal is over,” Trost pledged. “No carbon tax, no cap on trade, no over-the-top regulations.”
“I will abolish the Trudeau carbon tax the day I become Prime Minister,” Leitch pledged. Scheer said “it is economic madness to impose a new tax.”
Another issue of contention was supply management, and that prompted some of the biggest fireworks on the evening involving the two Quebec candidates in the race.
Abolishing the system of supply management for milk, eggs and poultry — where producers collectively control the price — has been a key plank of Maxime Bernier’s leadership bid.
But Steven Blaney went after Bernier on that issue as he expressed his strong support for supply management.
“I like free trade but I love my Canadian milk. How can a libertarian … ” said Blaney, looking at Bernier, “ … oppose a great system that costs zero dollars to taxpayers and offers Canadians quality food products at a reasonable price? Maxime, your plan is a disaster blinded by ideology.”
An animated Blaney then invoked the name of Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Gerry Ritz, who was at the event, in slamming Bernier’s plan.
“Like our party, like Gerry Ritz and Chuck Strahl, like you did for 10 years, I did and still support supply management and will continue to do so.”
The next big event on the Conservative debate calendar is scheduled for Moncton, N.B. on Dec. 6, and will be a bilingual debate.
The party has confirmed there will also be three more official debates, but dates and venues have not been announced for those as of yet.
