He was not present on the stage, but During the French-language debate on Monday night, the Liberal leadership race was shrouded in President Donald Trump’s shadow. The candidates—Mark Carney, a former central banker; Chrystia Freeland, a former finance minister; Karina Gould, a former government House leader; and Frank Baylis, a former MP—spent much of the debate discussing the threat that Donald Trump poses to Canada’s economy and sovereignty. According to Carney, Trump’s personality has evolved since his first term and is now more “isolationist, more aggressive.” He stated, “Trump of today, he isn’t the same as before.” “Before, he wanted a piece of our economy. He now wants our nation. According to Carney, the first step in negotiating trade with the Americans is to be clear about what won’t be discussed: water, culture, and supply management. “We need to focus on what we can control,” he said. “We can’t control President Trump. Our economy must be strengthened immediately. It will strengthen our position in negotiations. Gould agreed and said Canada needs to stand up for its economy.
She stated, “We need to comprehend that Canadian businesses have a lot to offer the world.” “Not only the United States but other nations as well.” According to Freeland, Trump is a once-in-a-generation threat to the sovereignty of Canada. “Trump represents the biggest threat to Canada since World War II. He threatens us with economic war,” Freeland said in her opening remarks.“ Last time he was president, he threatened us. And I was successful in protecting Canada. His threats are more severe this time. Baylis stated that any talk of negotiations with Trump is meaningless because Canada already has a trade agreement that the American president does not respect. He proposed forming a new economic alliance with the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Based on polls and fundraising to date, Carney is the clear front-runner — making him the target of Conservative attack ads in recent weeks. Carney stumbled when he said that the Liberal candidates were in agreement “with” Hamas during a discussion about the war in Gaza. Despite the fact that opinion polls indicate that his candidacy has helped the Liberals close the polling gap with the Conservatives, Carney’s proficiency in French remained a topic of discussion leading up to the debate on Monday. Carney later clarified, saying he meant to state that the candidates were all in agreement on their positions on Hamas.
The Conservatives quickly jumped on the slip-up and questioned Carney’s ability to communicate clearly in French.
You only have control over your response, not the question. The higher up you go, the more this matters,” Conservative MP Dan Albas posted on X, in response to Liberal MP Anthony Housefather coming to Carney’s defence.
“If Mr. Carney doesn’t understand that, he should not be seeking the highest office in the country.”
In the post-debate press conference, the first question Carney faced was on his command of the French language.
“I look forward to having a debate with (Bloc Québécois Leader) Yves-François Blanchet and (Conservative Leader) Pierre Poilievre in the French language,” Carney said, switching to French halfway through his answer.
Trump threat overshadows 1st Liberal leadership debate
