remember. >> jessica delong sunday night -- tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span's q and a. you can also find interviews wherever you get your podcasts. >> up next, canadian party leaders, including justin trudeau, take part of a debate i had of the september 20 federal election in canada. -- ahead of the september 20 federal election in canada. justin trudeau has served as prime minister since 2015. the two hour debate takes place at the canadian museum of history in quebec. debate. we are coming to you from the grand hall in the canadian using love history on the traditional unseeded territory of the algonquin people.

a place for canadians to reflect on the country's past, but tonight, we're looking ahead to the future. i'm the president of the institute and tonight, i will be your moderator. let's welcome the party leaders. justin trudeau for the liberal party. er tonight's event is being produced for the leaders debates as well as described video and asl. 20,000 canadians have weighed in, telling us what they want to hear from the leaders and five themes have emerged.

leadership and accountability, climate change, reconciliation, affordability and covid recovery. tonight, four undecided voters and journalists, maybe the journalists are undecided as well, we'll be putting their questions directly to the leaders and you leaders have agreed to tonight's rules and format. before we begin, please answer the questions you are asked. do not interrupt each other. i don't want to cut you off but i will if i have to. let's get started. ♪ . you will each get a different question and you will have 45 seconds to answer. you all have a countdown clock. the theme is the leadership and accountability. your speaking order has been determined by draw. mr. singh, you are first. you are popular and you inspired

many canadians but your platform is full of big promises and when it comes to how you will pay for it all, there is not a lot of details. given this, how can canadians know that you are really ready to lead? mr. singh: i appreciate the question and i want to say good evening to everyone tuning in. it is a serious question people are asking themselves. they are wondering who is going to pay the price of this pandemic at the recovery. we do have old plans on how we -- bold old plans on how we can invest in people. we're the only party with a credible plan that will not put the burden on people, that will not cut the help they need unlike mr. trudeau and mr. o'toole who voted against making them pay their fair share. we leave billionaire should pay their fair share. we should end the loopholes and the offshore tax havens. that means billions of dollars are lost that we are not able to

invest in people. we want to put the burden on those who are at the very top so we can invest in the solutions people need. tackling the climate crisis, investing in housing. >> thank you. next to you, mr. trudeau, because you wanted a new mandate, you plunged the country into an election even as the pandemic spurs thousands of new cases. over the last 18 months, opposition parties have largely stood with you, putting the nation above politics. why are you not doing the same? how can you justify an election at this time? prime minister trudeau: thank. -- thank you. first of all, i want to thank you canadians for being here tonight. and also quite frankly for everything you have done over the past number of months to help get ourselves and our neighbors through this. over the next couple of hours, you are going to hear some very different, very strong ideas that are radically different about how we are going to move forward through this pandemic to end it. how we are going to build back better.

those decisions are going to be taken by your government now in the coming weeks. this fall. not a year from now. not two years from now. >> could it not have waited a few months? prime minister trudeau: i know you want to go harder and faster on vaccinations. i know you want to go harder and faster on climate change, and you get to choose exactly that and this election. >> that is time. thank you. mr. blanchet, you deny quebec has problems with racism yet you defend legislation that marginalizes religious minorities, anglophones and allophones. quebec is recognized as a distinct society but for those outside the province, help them understand why your party also supports these discriminatory laws. mr. blanchet: the question seems to imply the answer you want. those laws are not about discrimination. they are about the values of quebec.

>> minorities cannot progress. if they wear their religious gear. mr. blanchet: quebec is not recognized as a distinct society. it is recognized as a nation on june 16. by the parliament. 281 votes said quebec is a nation and everybody here seems to agree with that. no more distinct society, which never adds any more meaning anyway. >> again, why they discriminatory laws and your support for it? mr. blanchet: we may repeat as may times as you want but those are not discriminatory laws. there seems to be people around here who will share this point of view which is by itself for quebec. >> thank you. ms. paul, to you. for millions of voters, this is the climate change election. at this critical time, you have been bogged down in internal

strife. if your own party does not fully support you, how can canadians trust you to lead through one of the most defining issues of our time? ms. paul: it is an excellent question and it is an honor to be here tonight on the unseeded territories of the algonquin people. it has been a very difficult period. do i wish our party had been further ahead particularly at this moment? absolutely. do i believe we have wonderful candidates running all over the country that you should consider voting for? absolutely. being who i am and in this position has been incredibly hard. being here tonight was not an obvious thing. i have had to crawl over a lot of broken glass to get here. i'm proud to be here. i'm proud to be the first of my kind and because i am the first of my kind, i know i will not be the last. >> thank you, mr. paul. and to you, mr. o'toole.

you recommend vaccination, but you will not a candidates get them. you talk about climate plan but you will not dump a candidate that shares climate conspiracies. you are on record supporting the lgbtq community but you allowed half of your mps to vote against ajit -- legislation protecting them. how can voters trust it is you and not your caucus that will be in charge of a conservative policy agenda? mr. o'toole: thank you, i am the new leader of the conservative party, and we have a plan to get the country back on its feet after a difficult worst 18 months of the crisis. i am an ally to the lgbtq community, and that comes from my service in the military where i served alongside people of all backgrounds, all orientations, putting the country first. our platform including a detailed plan on climate change is about making sure we secure the future. jobs, accountability, national leadership. >> is it you or your caucus driving the bus?

mr. o'toole: i am driving the bus to make sure we get this country back on track. i'm here to defend the rights of all canadians, women, members of the lgbtq community, indigenous canadians. i want to make sure we all secure a future together. >> thank you, mr. o'toole. it is now time for our first face-to-face debate. mr. trudeau, ms. paul, you are up. starting with mr. trudeau based on this question. you call yourself a feminist but on your watch, sexual misconduct in canada's armed forces continues to run rampant. why are you allowing these unacceptable conditions to continue? prime minister trudeau: we recognize there are systems and institutions that need to change across the country, and that is why from the very beginning we stepped up with policies and stronger policies and processes to support every survivor. nobody deserves to be working in a workplace where they are being discriminated against, being

harassed or hassled. we have been unequivocal about that. my leadership has been unequivocal about that. yes, these problems continue in workplaces across the country. particularly in the military. that is unacceptable, which is why we have taken stronger measures. it is unsatisfactory to say we are relying on process. we want to be able to have easy answers. >> ms. paul, what is your response to that? ms. paul: i've said before and i will say again tonight i do not believe mr. trudeau is a real feminist. a feminist does not continue to push strong women out of his party when they are just seeking to serve and i will say their names tonight and thank them. thank you, jane. thank you, jodi. thank you, selena. i am here tonight thanks to the work you have done. i believe if there were more women on this platform tonight and in previous years that we

would have better laws in our military. we would have childcare at this point. it would have many of the things we need. i am the only woman other than elizabeth to be on this platform in the last 18 years. the liberal party has never had a woman. i think it is time for the party to examine -- prime minister trudeau: i will not take lessons on caucus management from you. mr. paul: i will not take lessons from you. prime minister trudeau: making sure our first woman finance minister has moved forward. >> all right, mr. trudeau. that is time. we have to move on. mr. blanchet, mr. o'toole, and mr. singh. this next topic is for you to debate. canada's transition to a green economy depends on pipelines. at a time when there is uncertainty energy supply over line five, this country cannot extract nor distribute oil domestically.

our theme is leadership. which one of you is best to lead on these complex issues? mr. blanchet, you begin. mr. blanchet: i am not much interested in leading canada. however, i am very much interested in making sure quebec is entitled to its own vision for the future. in quebec, we do not have energy issues that much because we are lucky. it is luck that we can produce green energy and a large amount but the whole planet cannot afford this idea. this canadian idea, this conservative idea, and as far as i know, this very liberal idea we have to produce more oil, export more oil believing that the money from it will reduce gas emissions, which will not happen. mr. o'toole: all canadian families deserve an economic recovery, including families in western canada that feel left out after six years of mr. trudeau. when it comes to leadership, our

natural resources sector is a leader in environmental social governance. anytime canadian resources are removed from the global supply chain, you know who fills that gap? saudi arabia, venezuela, russia. all of these organizations and companies are getting their admissions down. let's get emissions down and canadian resources to market so we can have job opportunity and fight climate change. mr. singh: when it comes to leadership on fighting this crisis, one of the biggest crisis we are up against, you have a difficult choice for canadians. you have on one side someone who does not believe there is a crisis, and on the other, you have mr. trudeau who does not act like there is a crisis. what is going to take his real leadership. the solutions are there. we can invest in clean energy. green energy. [talking over each other] >> one at a time, gentlemen. mr. singh: i want to see canadians get back to work.

in all sectors and regions. i am proud of what we produce in our country whether it is our resources or the resources in the heads of our young people. >> these workers need a plan that is going to create jobs for the future. that is the responsibility of government. we have seen six years of mr. trudeau, cannot afford another four years. we need to do is invest in a diversified economy. clean energy. we need to electrify transportation. we need to invest in retrofitting homes and buildings. we need an economic recovery in all sectors. >> last word to you, mr. blanchet. mr. blanchet: leadership is not only saying the words. it is proposing solutions, admitting a problem, which they are not doing. >> thank you. my next question is for all of you. we have had some encouraging news out of kabul overnight with the escape of 43 canadians. that said, thousands of people who helped canada during

canada's mission in afghanistan have been left behind in their hour of need and it is unknown if we will ever get them all out. to each of you, what would you have done differently? mr. o'toole: canada should never leave behind people that are at risk because they helped us. when afghanistan was falling, there were 1200 canadians and hundreds more translators and others waiting for help from canada. what did mr. trudeau do? you called an election. you put your own political interest ahead of the well-being of thousands of people. leadership is about putting others first. not yourself. you should not have called the election. you should have gotten the job done in afghanistan. >> hold on. this is not open debate. this is a situation where we are asking a question to each of you. no problem, mr. trudeau. i am trying to keep track, myself. mr. o'toole: he called an

election in the fourth wave of a pandemic with fires in british columbia and unfinished business in afghanistan. >> i'm going to give the opportunity next to mr. singh. you guys will have tons of time to debate, so hang tight. mr. singh: sadly what has happened in afghanistan is a tragedy that was something we knew about. we knew about the withdrawal date. we knew from president biden but that it would be in sadly i agree with mr. o'toole on this one point. it was a bad decision to call an election while this crisis was going on because we have allies on the ground that put their lives at risk to support our canadian forces who are looking at peril for their lives and may never get out of afghanistan. we know the impact on women and girls in afghanistan. it is heartbreaking and it could have been avoided. veterans have told mr. trudeau and his government for a long time the current approach was not working. those calls were not heeded. as a result, we are in this

really horrible situation that could have been avoided. mr. blanchet: what i seem to understand from what i've read is kabul airport is being opened for some people to get out of the country, which is very good news. this should have been worked a long time ago. announcer: -- i agree with mr. o'toole. mr. trudeau should have those people's interest before his own. however, the problem is that canada has failed many times to create some strong partnerships with other countries in order to be stronger facing a situation like afghanistan now. by itself, we must admit, canada is not a world power. >> mr. trudeau, i invite you to respond now. prime minister trudeau: it is unfortunate to hear the members, the leaders on the stage talking down the incredible work our canadian armed forces, our diplomats, our consular officials did from the beginning of the summer to ensure as of the very beginning of august, well before this election, we

were getting flights out of afghanistan. we got 3700 people out of afghanistan and over the past weeks, we have been working with the qatari's exactly on that good news we have seen of more canadians getting out of afghanistan. we work closely with our allies because we know the canadian sacrifice for a better future. we need to stand by the people who helped us. we will with even more people in the coming months. ms. paul: as a former diplomat and with a husband who provided advice on the peace negotiations in afghanistan, we were hearing the stories all the time in the months leading up this was foreseeable. it seems we got utter -- better information on our smart phones then mr. trudeau got from our entire intelligence service based on what he is saying. the thing is when people count on you, when you make a promise to them, then you do it so

people can count on canada's word. when someone is your partner, you go with them, you go for them or you do not amount to much. leaving behind people in afghanistan, walking up and calling an election under these circumstances was not the right thing to do. to borrow a line from mr. singh, from 2019, mr. trudeau could say hey man, i messed up. >> thank you all. now it is our time for a first attempt at open debate. jumping off of this question, michael colberg and michael sabir have been in chinese prisons for 1004 days. the next prime minister as key decisions to make about our already tense relationships with china, such as telecommunications security and foreign investment. some say this all comes down to a trade-off between canada's economic growth and recognition of human rights. i would like to know where you all stand. i'm sure you would like to exchange on that. mr. singh, you may begin.

leaders, you may jump in. mr. singh: thank you very much. we know that we cannot imagine what it is for them to be going through 1000 plus days in prison without human rights. i can't imagine what their friends and families are going through. all i know is we have to do everything possible to secure their release. we need to work with our allies, apply pressure, and make sure we return these canadians home. prime minister trudeau: and that is exactly what we have been doing. over the past three years, we have worked with international allies to put pressure on china. we have worked closely with the united states. we at the g7 a few weeks ago worked with the international community to make sure we are moving forward on challenging china were necessary on human rights, competing with them where we need to and holding them to account on the rule of law as a global community and canada's voice has been very strong on that. mr. o'toole: canada's voice has

been absent. we have not worked with our allies on huawei. we have not stood up for the 300,000 canadians in hong kong. we have not fought for the two michael's and put pressure on the communist regime. we have not stood up for human rights. you did not show up for vote declaring a genocide toward the weaker people. you did not show up. canada was leading the fight against apartheid. we created the un human rights code. we should be leaders for our values, sir. you have let the michael's down. we have to get serious with china. prime minister trudeau: if you want to get the michael's home, you do not simply log tomatoes across the pacific. that is what mr. harper tried for a number of years and did not it anywhere. you need to engage with our allies every step of the way. >> all right. mr. o'toole: we are out of step at our allies are wondering

where canada has gone. you started as prime minister singh you admired china. >> i'm coming to you, ms. paul. just a second. mr. singh: thank you very much. we are talking to leadership and accountability. in this pandemic, one of the moments that have been a failure is when we talk about leadership it means finding solutions. in our long-term care homes in canada, we saw the worst conditions. >> your going to have time to chat with that later. the topic is china, human rights and economic growth. ms. paul: this is an area where lines are being redrawn all across the world. the main thing canada is going to have going forward in terms of currency is its word. when we make a promise, we have to keep those promises. that is how when we need help, we get it. my mom grew up on a farm in a small community and she taught us you have to give your word to

your neighbors and they have to be able to count on it so when you need help, they are there for you. when we don't show up when we are asked for vaccines from covax and we take a vaccines from covax, when the uighurs ask for help to declare a genocide and we don't do that, when we don't show up on the climate by setting targets that are ambitious but at the same time in line with our international partners and do our fair share, then our word does not count for much, and it makes it hard for us to help people like michael's when they need us the most. mr. blanchet: throwing tomatoes might not be the solution but i would submit humbly doing nothing might not be the solution either. mr. trudeau's record on human rights is not perfect. we might name the two michael's, we might name taiwan, hong kong. we might name catalonia. we might name the worst of all. in saudi arabia because canada

wants to sell weapons and military supplies. >> one at a time. mr. blanchet: the parliament voted unanimously to give citizenship but nothing has been done afterward. >> mr. o'toole. mr. trudeau. mr. singh. mr. o'toole: canada is needed back on the world stage. we may be smaller but we are a giant when it comes to our commitments to human rights, dignity and the rule of law , and we have to start working with our allies to make a more serious approach for human rights, standing up for workers on fair trade, and making sure our voices a principled one on the world stage again. prime minister trudeau: the problem with mr. o'toole and his principles is he says all the right sounding things and he is working on reassuring everyone he is right there is a strong leader but he cannot convince his candidates to get vaccinated. he cannot convince his mps --

>> let's keep the theme. i'm giving the last word to mr. singh. mr. singh: leadership men -- means standing up. it means standing up to defend people around the world. it also means showing leadership when it comes to fighting the climate crisis, we have the worst record in the g7. that is not leadership. certainly not. >> thank you. thank you, leaders. we are now moving on to our next theme, which is climate change. ♪ this time, we are starting with a question from trevor mcmullen. he is a high school teacher. he is standing by. trevor, what is your question? >> good evening. as leaders, what immediate action would you take to make technology more acceptable and affordable so everyday canadians do not have to bear the financial burden of being find -- environmentally ethical? >> thank you.

you heard trevor's question, ms. paul, you're going first. ms. paul: thank you for that question. that is exactly where your head should be at. that is were all of our head should be at. how can we use this opportunity to seize the moment to create a green economy? how can we incentivize every person and company in canada, every enterprise to adopt green energy and how can we become a global leader? if you look at our platform, we have proposed incentives from buying electric cars new and used to retrofitting homes, all of these items that will help make life easier for you and help you do your part. this is a national and international issue. we need national leadership on it across party lines. >> thank you, mr. singh. -- two, mr. paul. mr. singh. mr. singh: i am sure you speak

to a lot of young people and you see the worry in their eyes because they do not know the future they are going to inherit, and they are worried about the impacts of the climate crisis. because it is hurting us now, and it is going to get worse if we do not do anything about it. to invest in the future, we need to make choice. right now, we look at the traces -- choices mr. trudeau has made over the past six years, he has promised fossil fuel subsidies, but instead of ending them he has increased them to $900 million per year. that is money we could spend on investing in clean technology. making it easier for people to access that technology and to do our part to fight the climate crisis. we cannot afford another four years. >> thank you, mr. singh. to you, mr. o'toole. mr. o'toole: thank you, trevor. i was raised by two teachers, and we have not met the expectations of canadians on climate change.

it is an important issue for me as a father of a highschooler, and we talk about it all the time. that is why in april, i put out a substantial package to meet the paris target. what is interesting, our low carbon savings account will allow people to make green choices to lower their carbon footprint. this approach is innovative, it will allow all canadians know what their carbon footprint is and make those innovative investments to lower it. we all have a role to play, and our plan is sound that we will deliver on it. mr. blanchet: i hope you appreciate blunt answers. first, you cannot put a ceiling -- you put a ceiling on a production of oil and gas. you take all the money placed into the industry, and you put that into green energy. you take the money or transportation and give it to alberta.

it will shape its own transition toward a greener economy. this is the way to do things, because if we do not and keep dreaming about reducing gas emissions, while increasing production, we will never get there. >> thank you, mr. blanchet. mr. trudeau? prime minister trudeau: you need to ground your decisions with your students in science. all these leaders have various claims about what their climate change plan is going to do, unfortunately if you look at the experts and the climate scientists and the economists of said, we are the ones with the strongest plan. how to answer your question more specific and make it more affordable for canadians, the first thing, bringing a national solution that incentivizes businesses to go cleaner, at the same time it puts more money in family's pockets. we are going to put a cap on oil and gas emissions in decline

-- and decline it until net zero and increase opportunities for investments that are going to make it more affordable for you and your students for years to come. >> thank you, mr. trudeau. thank you, trevor. have a good evening. i'm turning it back to the leaders, it is time for more debate. mr. trudeau and mr. o'toole facing off. your topic is climate change. even today, one in four canadians do not believe climate change is caused by human activity. how can we achieve real progress when so many people are still debating the fundamentals? mr. o'toole, you will begin. mr. o'toole: climate change is real threat to canada and the world. we have to take a serious plan to tackle it. we put a plan out in april. we have to restore some trust on this issue to make sure we can show canadians we can get emissions down and get the economy working again. that is key. we have a plan to meet our paris

targets but minimize the impact on jobs and investments. we are also going to make major investments in electric vehicles and the hydrogen economy, small modular reactors. there's so much we can do to get our emissions down but grow stronger economy, without a strong economy, we cannot tackle climate change. prime minister trudeau: what mr. o'toole has never understood is you cannot have a strong economy without tackling climate change. you can ask how we will convince the one in four canadians who believe climate change is not real, mr. o'toole cannot convince his party climate change is real. they voted against that. that is why his plan is to week. -- too weak. harbor targets which doesn't work. he plans to make cuts -- >> let him respond.

let mr. o'toole respond. mr. o'toole: mr. trudeau has always forgotten one fact, he never made a target for climate change, he has great ambition, part of the reason we are in an election in a pandemic is his ambition. [voices overlapping] >> gentlemen, we have to wrap the segment. we are moving on. next up is mr. singh, mr. blanchet, and ms. paul. i would like you to describe how you would implement a national approach that esther recognizes the significant regional differences involved in sliding -- in fighting change. you begin, mr. singh, you may jump and one at a time. mr. singh: we just heard mr. o'toole and mr. trudeau argue. who is worse?

it is a tough question to answer. let me tell you, you are not stuck with these two. better as possible. we can invest in a clean economy. we can end fossil fuel subsidies. we can make sure we are creating clean transportation and investing provinces and territories to make sure they have the resources necessary to fight the climate crisis. i am hopeful, optimistic. i am going to be a dancing, and i want to make sure my child grows up into a future that has the same opportunity i had, clean air, clean water, a clean place to live. mr. blanchet: it is not a national or regional issue, it is a planetary issue. it has to be tackled by everyone at once. i would be glad to give some of my precious time to mr. o'toole. a little more than a week ago, he said in french he did not want anymore to have a pipeline to go through quebec. that was quite a statement.

he said that in french. no more pipeline in quebec. i want to hear that in english. [laughter] >> hold on. this segment -- [voices overlapping] this sort of approach is going -- mr. paul: this approach is going to get us nowhere. the question was an excellent one this is a global issue. this is a national issue and not artisan issue. we have got to be able to come together across party lines. i said that i was available for a debate just on the climate because it is that important. we've invited many times, all the parties to join us in a joint cabinet across party cabinet to deal with this the way we dealt with the pandemic. together. people were inspired to see the leaders come together in the early days of the pandemic. we have got to bring that same approach here. let us come together. that is what is needed.

mr. singh: i agree that we need to come together. what we should not do is what mr. trudeau did, set targets and miss them. we should not promise to end fossil feel subsidies and then increase them. we should not put a price on pollution and then exempt the biggest polluters. we need to invest in provinces and territories with infrastructure. [voices overlapping] >> hold on, mr. singh. chris paul: with the greatest of respect to mr. singh, we have been making this invitation for years, it has never been accepted by the ndp or any other party. >> we have to wrap this section, now, leaders. it is time for me with great pleasure to welcome ms. stephenson with global news. she is going to be asking a direct question on climate change. reporter: thank you for having me.

candidates, it is a pleasure to have ask you a question on make canadians minds. the question of climate change. mr. trudeau, on your watch, canada's greenhouse gas emissions about up every year since 2016, giving this country the worst emissions reduction record in the g7. according to the recent data from your government, canada's emissions in were just as high 2019 as they were 15 years ago. environmentalists say your performance is insufficient. if you're serious about climate change, why are canada's emissions still going up? prime minister trudeau: we inherited a government from a conservative that did not believe in the fight against climate change. we had a lot of catching up to do. what we've done six years is put a national price on pollution, banned plastics, protected more of our oceans and rivers in any government in history. we are right now on track to exceeding those 2030 targets set

at the beginning in paris down 236%, and we've gone even further. we have a concrete plan that the experts have said is the only one that can achieve a 40% -- reporter: ok, mr. blanchet? your party often criticizes the oil. you said he would block pipelines trying to go through quebec. when you were the environment minister, you allowed carbon intensive projects and oil exploration without environmental assessment. why the double standard what you -- why the double standard? and what do you say to canadians who feel you're blocking their prosperity? mr. blanchet: there are three issues that been raised in this election. first was reversed a few years sooner without any evaluation. the second is a project which

already had been submitted for evaluation and environmental evaluation. i will come to that evaluation after the exploration. this was paid by the previously environmentalists, which the prime minister did not even know about. having signed the carbon market with california, which is still considered the best way to tackle the gas emission through incentives. >> that is time. mercedes, your next question. reporter: mr. o'toole, with your plan, canada would abandon its current climate target. instead, you would settle for a weaker one, when set six years ago by stephen harper.

world leaders are meeting this fall to ratchet up commitments on climate change on the global stage, yet, you would walk ours back. use of the climate change is real, and you have endorsed carbon pricing. but your target is the lowest of all the major parties who here tonight. why should canadians settle for your plan, a plan that would take our targets back in time. mr. o'toole: canadians have deserve to have a plan. and leadership to make the target. mr. trudeau went to paris. the targets i'm talking about are the ones he signed onto and then for six years, did not make them. he likes to blame everyone but himself. what we did, we have to build trust on this issue, we went out and worked with the top consultants in the country to come up with a plan to price carbon, get our admissions down -- emissions down to meet paris, but also get people back to work after covid-19. with half $1 trillion worth of debt with the cost-of-living

crisis, it also means that we will get our emissions down. we will make our emissions target. it is important for candidates have applied to me to what it signs onto internationally. reporter: ms. paul, obviously environment a big part of your plan. it calls for a 60% reduction in canada's emissions by other 2030. countries are making the commitment do not face the same challenges we do in canada. we live in a cold, northern, sprawling country. our economy still relies on fuel -- resource extraction, most of which you said you which i don't completely in your platform. how would you offset the economic harm that would come from meeting such an aggressive target? ms. paul: when i think about the future of energy, canada will remain an energy superpower, i we will be a renewable energy superpower. i think about my brother, who was a roughneck out on the oil

patch until the bus during the pandemic, and i think about his future, and i know we have to diverse i our economy. what happens next is up to you. we can keep moving toward a mirage, and that is what these promises are, a mirage in the distance that we never arrive at, or you can send people back to ottawa from every party who were committed to working together across party lines on the greatest existential challenge of our time and seizing the opportunity of the truly green recovery. reporter: mr. singh, you accuse the trudeau government of being all talk and no action when it comes to climate change. yet, you will not even give canadians a straight answer on whether or not you would cancel the trans mountain pipeline expansion. you had years to develop a climate plan. your platform has a lot of big ideas, big targets, but almost no details on how you would get there. don't you owe canadians a clear answer on your climate roadmap

and will you provide one tonight? mr. singh: we have a bold plan that is going to take a lot of courage, lots of investment. we know how serious this crisis is. we know what we are up against. unlike mr. trudeau, we are not going to blame previous governments. we know the in power, we have the power to make a change. if we hope for the same things, we are going to get the same results. you have a choice. reporter: but what is your plan tomorrow mr. singh: one is to -- but what is your plan? mr. singh: one is to end fossil fuel subsidies, use that to invest in clean energy. we would prioritize investing in electrified transportation, retrofitting homes and buildings to reduce emissions, there's so much we can do. we are confident we can do it. but there is a cost if we continue down the same path of conservatives and liberals who do not take this seriously. you have a choice. >> thank you. now it is time for open debate. mercedes is going to keep you on theme, i'm going to keep on time

and make sure everyone has a chance to be heard. ms. paul, we are starting with you. back to you, mercedes. reporter: canadians want their government to fight climate change. but they also worry about the cost for their families. we know there will be a cost to this. why should canadians trust your party to see us through this? ms. paul: there is a global rush -- global green rush going on now to create a competitive green economy of the future. what the greens do not want to see is canada being left behind. that is what is happening. i am sure that the last candle maker that had the market cornered on candlemaking, but if everyone has moved on to led lights, then you are in trouble. we want to seize this opportunity, to your earlier question, if denmark and greenland, other quote countries can and exploration, then certainly we can do it.

if 27 countries in the european union can come together to have an ambitious plan for the climate, surely we can do the same in canada. i know canada can do anything any other country and do. mr. singh: absolutely. mr. trudeau: if any type of energy is removed from the global climate, it is replaced by bad actor country that does not have carbon reduction rooms, human rights, engagement with indigenous communities. indigenous partnerships. natural resources is huge. you said the cost, there are tens of thousands of jobs that -- mr. o'toole: there are tens of thousands of jobs that deserve an economic recovery is much as anybody else. there are indigenous partnerships, economic reconciliation, to make canada net zero by 2050. let's be leaders in getting carbon emissions down and be world leaders on how we have natural resources, whether it is energy, timber.

>> mr. singh? mr. singh: the cost of inaction is an entire town being wiped out by a climate force fire. the cost of inaction is for -- force fires, flooding and heat waves. the cost of not acting means a young woman who looked me in the eyes and said, what is the point of me pursuing my education? what is the point of me finding a partner, starting a family why -- a family, when i do not know what future i will live in, let alone my child? that is the cost of inaction. that is the cost of mr. trudeau, who had six years to do something about this. six years and he failed -- >> mr. trudeau. prime minister trudeau: when we talk about it climate crisis, we have to talk about the facts. one fact i have to lay into his we have not missed our targets. we are on track to exceed our targets. [voices overlapping]

secondly, i do have a plan -- we need to talk about science, experts. you and i agree on the how is it that the experts that have rated our plan to be an a and rated your plan to be f? [voices overlapping] mr. singh: you were talking about the future, let's talk about right now. you had six years. let me finish. you got the worst track record in all the g7 after six years. how can anybody trust you? >> mr. singh, mr. trudeau -- [voices overlapping] all don, -- hold on. mr. singh, thank you very much. mr. trudeau. prime minister trudeau: he

cannot explain why is plan has been panned by experts. every politician says we have the best plan. we actually have a record. the question was, how do we make sure it is affordable? we brought in price solution across the country that puts more money back in the pockets and provinces where it had to be imposed because conservative politicians fought at every step of the way. >> ms. paul? ms. paul: with the greatest of respect, i think the five phd's in our shadow cabinet who put together our green recovery policy would disagree with the experts. i do want to say more generally that this is getting us nowhere. we've got to be able to come together across party lines, not only to face the existential crisis that mr. singh described, but also to see the greatest economic opportunity that canada has seen within our lifetime. we are being left behind, and if

the united states can do it, the european union can do it, i know we can do it. it is about changing culture. >> mr. blanchet, did you want to get in? mr. blanchet: i am quite behind everybody else and cap 12-seconds left. >> >> -- there's a possibility to create more without the cost of the changes that we need. we must stop opposing environment and creating wealth. it may go together well. this is a change we have to do. >> thank you, sir. thank you, mercedes. now we are moving on to her next theme, reconciliation. ♪ we are going to our first time voter. he has got a question for the leaders. you are 18 years old, a first

time voter, what is your question to the leaders? go ahead. the leaders are listening. >> in our culture, trust and respect is key to any relationship. >> you've got it, keep going. >> how can i trust the federal government after 150 plus years of lies and abuse to my people? as prime minister, what will you do to rebuild the relationship between first nations and the federal government? >> thank you. leaders, you heard the question. how do you respond? mr. trudeau, you start this round. prime minister trudeau: thank you, for your question. you're absolutely right. over the past 150 years, canada has failed in its relationship with indigenous people. people we should be working with and sharing stewardship of the land, working in partnership with as we draw from the bounty and beauty of this land to build a better future for all. that is why, over the past six

years, we have stepped up on the path to reconciliation. we have ended boil water advisories in 109 communities. we have made sure tens of thousands of young people get to go to school in better classrooms. we continue to move forward on fighting for the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and ensuring a true partnership as we move forward in this respect. mr. blanchet: your question is quite moving. i would say that no one is entitled to tell any nation what to do or what to think. and every nation has to be record raised as such. either it is a nation of 300 people like there is in quebec or 8 million people. it calls for a relationship between equals.

it calls for a relationship in which nobody tells the other party that they are stronger, bigger, richer and therefore you will do as you are told, even if we say it politely. and first you provide clean water. >> thank you. ms. paul? ms. paul: thank you for the question. i understand the english inmate, as well. coming from a diaspora myself or -- where we have been robbed of our culture, our language, our history, i've no idea where my ancestors were born or buried. i completely understand how important this it is, and how frustrating not to see the action. i'm tired of being on these stages without indigenous leadership here to speak for it. -- speak for itself. when they said without action, the parliament would abolish

human rights. indigenous sovereignty, nation to nation engagement, that is my commitment. mr. o'toole: mr. macleod, thank you for the question. the way you phrased it is so important. reconciliation is about trust and respect and restoring after a century and a half of the federal government failing. that is why, as opposition leader, my first question in the house of commons was a call to action on reconciliation with respect to indigenous health. we need to build partnerships, restore trust. that trust is eroded when you make commitments on safe drinking water on reserve, when you make commitments on the calls to action and have no plan to fulfill them. i want to build partnerships and have indigenous leaders have governance over the federal government finally delivering on our commitment to indigenous people.

mr. singh: thank you for your question. how to restore trust? how do you restore trust when indigenous communities suffer injustice, and it continues in an unbroken line to this day? how you restore trust when you've got a prime minister that takes a knee one day and takes indigenous kids to court the next? how do you restore trust in a country as wealthy as ours, a g7 nation in the 21st century, that still does not provide clean drinking water to every single indigenous nation? it starts by actually walking the path of reconciliation, not with empty words, but real action, clean water, nation to nation, and respect. >> thank you. merrick, did the leaders answer your question? >> yes. >> thank you very much.

mr. blanchet and o'toole, it is your turn to debate now. you have promised more money to search for unmarked graves, but so much more needs to be done to achieve meaningful reconciliation. mr. blanchet, you begin, how are you better positioned than mr. o'toole to restore justice? mr. blanchet: i'm am not better positioned the mr. o'toole, because i believe this is a relationship between nation. he represents one nation and i feel i represent another one, and we are discussing with all other nations. i would remind everybody that on the last day of the last session we had a motion adapted unanimously by the parliament, and this motion was precisely saying what we've been told to carry by the first nation leaders. this might be the way to do it.

many times they block the requests, and we do not agree with everything that we would share, and our voices in the parliament with the first nations in order to ask them being heard by the whole country. mr. o'toole: after the tragic finding of graves that residential school sites, we offered to work on a bipartisan faction. those are related to former residential school sites. we need to act faster. i know mr. trudeau cares a great deal about reconciliation, we all do. this is an issue where we have to act, we can no longer say that we recognize the calls to action. we need a plan to achieve them. what i am proposing is a plan that builds partnerships, builds governance, has indigenous leaders, incredible one, to allow us to hold ourselves to account. all parties, all future governments.

this is the big scar in the history of canada. we have to tackle it, not just with good intentions, but with a good plan to deliver for all indigenous peoples. mr. blanchet: the prime minister -- he does not agree with the idea of acknowledging and recognizing first nation languages as official languages in his country. >> we will leave that segment there. ms. paul, mr. singh, mr. trudeau, you're up. tell me what is your plan to end the ongoing disproportionate violence against indigenous women and girls? ms. paul? ms. paul: the first thing is to make space for indigenous leadership. we have made all these promises, we know what needs to be done. the recommendations are there,

in the calls for justice, missing and murdered indigenous women reports, and we still don't have the action. as i said before, it should be jodey up here answering the question. >> we can get justice for the victims, healing for the families and put an end to the ongoing national tragedy. it will take a lot of work by all of us but we are walking this road in partnership because we know it needs to be done and there is much more to do.

>> i do not take any pleasure in this, the calls for justice are out and you have not answered it. that is not leadership. >> you will love that line --, it is not true. >> how can you say that? >> this is important. you talk about kids -- >> i would remind you the question is about violence against indigenous women and girls. let me resend are you -- re-center you. >> this is why we need more diversity in politics. that is why we need people who are impacted by issues to be able to talk for themselves. we have only dedicated two minutes about talking about how we are going to bring to justice

20 just -- bring true justice to indigenous women. >> i want to talk about those kids in unmarked graves across the country. it was a tragedy. when i went to speak with the chief we not only grieved those kids, we signed an agreement to keep kids at risk in their communities. to take them out of the system. that is how we move forward, it took years to sign that agreement but we were empowering indigenous communities. >> i will review a brief moment to respond. -- give you a brief moment to respond. >> we need to listen to indigenous women and girls and make sure that they are safe. >> i am really pleased to welcome melissa of attn news.

she will be asking a question about the theme of reconciliation. your first question? >> thank you for being here. numerous government reports including in quebec have sounded the alarm that the senate race does not exist, to police saying the justice system, what will you do with -- to address systematic racism in quebec and canada? >> never underestimate the sadness of those persons. i recognize the existence of june 2020 and what happened. it became a political tool against quebec.

to say quebec is racist and xenophobic and all of that instead of opening a discussion. trying to find a solution, consulting experts, discussing with the first nations themselves. it became this city against this other white society. we built nothing so the words became toxic. >> where do we go from there? >> we need to discuss that on the quite stage. versus being aggressive. >> your next question? >> canada has morrie tobin in government custody then at the height of residential schools. new legislation takes the onus and puts it on the first nation communities to bring their kids back.

cleaning up the mess that canada has created. those children have to be brought back to all of those same problems that still exist before apprehension. what would you do to make sure that poverty and trauma issues are addressed? >> thank you for that question. we mentioned that the residential school system have been replaced by children in care. this was perpetuating the legacy of trauma. it comes back to what i said before, the indigenous leadership is they are, it is ready to guide, we have all of the recommendations we need, what we are missing is political will and those who have been in power making space for new voices and diverse voices. i had to pull my jaw up when i heard mr. blunt shut said --

when a senator said something about education. >> it was an invitation to educate yourself. >> since i am many minutes behind everybody else -- >> you have had every opportunity to discuss and debate and i am fulfilling my opportunity -- duty. >> you are a liberal government head turned -- your liberal government turned into janice issues into -- turned indigenous issues into -- canadian indigenous people are losing patience with the lack of

results from all of this spending. why what they believe you this third term that they would get results and you would be accountable for all of that spending? >> the enemy of progressive politics is cynicism. discounting the hard work that people have been involved in over the past year. there is always more to do. week came into office -- when we came into office they were boiled water advisories and we lifted 109 of them. we had a project team and an action plan and we are going to lift them all. there are kids across this country who started the school year in new schools or refurbished schools. we have moved forward on resettling more agreements and more land claims and more partnerships than any other government over the years. we continue to work in partnership and respect and

invest more money into indigenous communities. we are not done yet. >> i do not think anyone is questioning the money spent, they are questioning the results for the money that is spent. >> federal forces including the department of fisheries and oceans have been used throughout canada's history to prevent first nations from their rights to fish and hunt. including under the ndp already in regards to fishing and logging. as prime minister, would you do to ensure indigenous rights finally respected? >> we need to respect indigenous treaty land and rights. you mentioned the rcp and i have to talk about the sad reality that there has been violence

against indigenous communities and peaceful protesters and we have a long called for reform for policing. i have continued to use every life form i have to stop the use of force. -- every form i have to stop the use of force. that is something the prime minister has failed to do. >> my next question is you voted against the one declaration that what is your decision with indigenous people over what happens on their land. you want to criminalize indigenous dissent that is expressed through blockades and protest. if you are prime minister, how could canada build a respectful nation to nation relationship with indigenous people? >> this goes similar to a question on trust and respect.

our only concern with the united nations declaration was how prior and informed consent was designed. i am glad to say one of the early leaders behind the one declaration has agreed to serve as a special counsel to me on the implementation to make sure there are pernicious and opportunities -- there are concerns and opportunities. the next generation has intergenerational wealth at opportunity transfer, -- wealth and opportunity transfer, not trauma. we have to make progress. >> we move on to open debate, a reminder that melissa will be here to keep the leaders on a theme. i will do my best to keep you all on time. you have an opportunity to jump in after mr. judo begins with --

mr. trudeau. >> this indian tax system is not working. how would you replace it with to make sure that canada is living up to its constitutional obligations to indigenous people? >> we are looking for to dismantling the indian act. it is not something that ottawa gets to decide. from community to community, we live up to our obligations. as we have moved towards the self-government we have accompanied communities, who want to start with health, some of education, every community, every nation gets to help define what its path is for. -- forward. >> the way to go forward is to

listen to leaders. he ignored one in his own cabinet. we have been speaking to people on how we can accelerate treaty resolution. this has been going on for decades. way to solve it and we need to work with indigenous leaders. there has been indigenous leaders in nonprofits, academia. we need to use the government capacity to finalize treaties and build partnerships. for best way forward is a success for indigenous people alongside -- >> just one point. this has to be indigenous land. there has been a top-down approach, it has to be indigenous people at the table. i want to talk about the impacts of how severe this is. housing indian act is great

injustice -- how the indian act is creating injustice. a young girl told me in her own voice, i am a 12-year-old girl and i am fighting for clean drinking water. those words hunt me to this day. i think about what 12-year-old do and it is not a search for clean drinking water. >> i want to go back, he is saying all of the right things but there are countless examples of him actually not living up to his words. on indigenous issues, specifically, he says we need to listen to indigenous people. he proposed he would raise the flags that are at half-mast for kids who are in indigenous schools. that is important and symbolic and would not cost a cent.

how do we believe -- >> i'm going to give ms. paul a chance to jump in. >> i want to -- >> hold on. >> i want to recent our conversation on indigenous peoples and what we are going to do to fulfill the many unfulfilled promises and commitments that have been made. i would say to pick up on what has been said, it seems all too often, reconciliation is treated like a buffet. pick this, but not the other one. that applies to what we have seen with mr. judo -- mr. trudeau and the liberals. you cannot see her conciliation and that allow fishes to have a decent living for all of these years. you cannot call ever consulted -- you cannot call it

conciliation and take them to court. you cannot support the ndp and put pipelines through territories. they did not support the project. >> i will come back to the two of you. >> first nations in quebec have something in common. they are blinded by a document they never signed. -- they are bound by a document the never signed. it should be dealt with freely, find treaties or agreement or something. the indian act has to be replaced. one nation at a time, if need be by and with agreement. if i may, cubic -- quebec wants out of the state of theirs.

religion -- state of affairs. religion has not protected women's rights and never will. >> if you love your country you can dictate to make it better. -- if you love your country, you can dig deep and make it better. >> i make a commitment to move forward with call to action. >> the prime minister does not deliver and when people protested him he mock them. that is not reconciliation. >> thank you. >> i think he cares. he has often done a lot of things for show and have not those up with real action. the harm is that indigenous people continue to suffer. i want to stop the suffering and lift up indigenous people. >> five seconds. >> the cynicism is -- he is

showing is harm it conciliation. we have a lot -- is harming reconciliation. we have a lot of work to do. >> it is time for our fourth theme of the night, affordability. shannon is a senior working part-time in burlington, atari or -- ontario. what is your question to the leaders? >> at my age, i never imagined i would have to keep on working. i have to to afford to live where i do. i would like to know, when they become prime minister, what will they do to help us seniors survive? >> thank you. you have heard her question, we are starting with you.

>> for many months, as demanded by the government to increase the amount of money being provided on a monthly basis to our elders. it is nowhere in the conservative's program and in the liberal's program it is nothing below 35% -- 75 percent. by the pandemic, the power to buy things was reduced. it was made worse and it inside he is terrible. -- it was made worse and the anxiety is durable. >> thank you.

this is a crisis facing our country. affordability. it is hitting our seniors the hardest. that is why in canada's recovery plan is to give you a break. we are going to double the worker's benefit. seniors like you having to work to keep up with the cost of living, we are going to double that for you to give you a break. we went to get bills -- we are going to get bills down. in december, will give you a break with the holiday and help brick and mortar scores -- stores in the process. mr. trudeau is causing an inflation crisis. we have to secure the future, that is our commitment to you. >> thank you for your question. we know that seniors have been deeply affected are the pandemic. the isolation, the extra costs, that is where we stepped up with a one-time support to help you

get through the pandemic. we need longer-term sports. -- supports. we are doing that again in our proposal in this election. we are moving forward with increasing the oas for all seniors over 75. they costs continue to increase as you get older and continue to want to live at home we are giving you more support so you can stay at home safely and make renovations. we will continue to have your back as we have through the pandemic and into the future. >> i want to thank you for your question. one of the things that you mentioned is we do not think -- you did not think you would have to keep working. we do not think you should have to keep working. you should not have had to work. in a country as rich as ours we should make sure our seniors are able to retire with dignity. you have the supports to live a

life of dignity. we put in place a guaranteed income for seniors and not have to worry about paying their bills. what we have seen so far is that they're going to cut the hope you receive or put the burden back on people like you. we believe the government should invest in you and people. >> thank you. as someone who has come from a family where my grandmother and can father had to work until -- and grandfather had to work. i completely understand what you are saying. this is an opportunity to learn the lessons from the pandemic and get to the heart of things. to stop talking about the symptoms but get to the root causes. we have to see the consistency

building -- consensus around a guaranteed income. we need more affordable housing, let us get to the root causes. >> you both talk about affordable housing. we know that affordability means different things to different people depending on where in the country they live. when you talk about affordable housing, who are you really talking about? you begin. >> we are talking about people who are spending more than half of their income on housing. that is not affordable. people should not be spending so much on housing they have no money left to pay for the groceries, bills and the sad reality is the average cost of housing nationally has gone up

by $300,000. the housing crisis has gotten worse. if we want to invest in housing, we have to invest to make sure that it is available, affordable, -- >> social wealth might be the solution to another problem. people are being -- paying too much because the prices have increased. the idea is reduced the speed of that increase -- reduce the speed of that increase and help people afford decent lodging. if we build more social lodging which had prices that were lower, it will lessen the pressure. it will become more expensive. it will help reduce -- i would

speak about an inflation rate which we must have. one thing might be part of the solution for the other thing when we speak about it. >> that is time. >> you speak about inflation, that brings us to our next topic. you are up. inflation is at his highest level in a decade and it is squeezing canadians on a staples -- on staples. what is your message to canadians who are struggling to make ends meet? >> i will care about monetary policy. we need to keep inflation low. there is a crisis hitting families and he seems oblivious to that. there is a housing crisis. mr. trudeau is making it worse.

almost half $1 billion of borrowing per day. we have a plan to get people to work, get their bills down, give him a break. and balance the bullet -- budget. that is what we need to fight against inflation. >> i'm pregnant to interrupt anyone. -- i am trying not to interrupt anyone. you will see people living in inadequate housing, people paying more than half of their income just for things like childcare. there has been the expression in my culture where we talk about the things you delay that should have been done today. we have got to learn the lessons of the pandemic and make sure that we have a social safety net that lets everyone live with dignity. we are investing in people and

our future. it costs us not to do it. >> i met a straightforward progress -- promise to canadians. we would have your back. we were there to support people. we need to continue that, we need to put forward a $10 a day total care proposal that will save the average family in toronto $10,000 more than other's approach. we put together a housing plan that will invest $4 billion to work with the housing crisis to create -- >> let him respond. >> -- half $1 billion of breaks into the wealthiest landlords for building new -- >> he fought against just try to

take foreign nonresident money out of our housing market. we have a plan to give density, one million new homes in a few years. canadians are worried you're going to be taxing other primary home sale. advisors have said it, candidates have said it, it is on page 14 of his policy book. >> leaders, there will be more opportunity to speak about these issues. i am bringing out rosemary of cdc news. she is going to be asking you more direct questions. on the theme of affordability. >> click to see everybody. -- it is good to see everybody. one of the plans you have laid out to tackle affordability is a guaranteed livable income.

there was an expert panel recently that said that that is not the way forward, it is too complicated for the needs of our society. the needs are too diverse. why is this policy worth pursuing? >> weight saw at the big -- we saw at the beginning of the pandemic people immediately going into financial crisis because our patchwork is not working. members of the liberal party voted for it at their convention. 50 senators signed a letter calling for it. the time has come to ensure that everyone has the support that they need to live in dignity in this country. the parliamentary budget officer looked at the guaranteed livable income, examined the model and he said it would lived half of the people who are in poverty out of it. it was affordable, it would not

incentivize work. -- disincentivise work. >> you would scrap the deals that liberals would make with the provinces. it would eventually reduce the fee to $10. you're proposing a tax credit that would reimburse some families $6,000 a year. what is your plan to to create spaces and lower fees because it is not just about affordability but also about access. >> it is about helping all families and now, not in five years helping some. our plan would help lower income families with up to 75% of the cost. our plan will help that nurse on a ship schedule that has jobs in the evening. -- shift schedule that has jobs in the evening. >> what does she do?

if she cannot find a spot? >> flexibility as possible. if there isin -- there isin trudeau plan in five years. to have the ability to help them in their circumstances. our plan will be immediate and it will help all canadian families. >> you are looking to fight skyrocketing house prices. two thirds of canadian families own a home already. if you are successful at cooling the housing market, people who have invested their life savings into their homes may not have it anymore. what is more important to you, helping younger people get access to the market, or allowing older canadians who rely on the value of their home to live? >> a fair question. when i spoke to people, i go

door to door, people have beautiful homes, the number one concern is housing. they say i'm not worried about myself i have a place, i am worried about my kids. they are more concerned that their kids will never be able to find a home within their own circumstances. they are worried about their kids. it is impossible for young people to even imagine buying a home, we have got to get the big money out of housing. >> so your answer is it is more important for young people to get into the housing market rather than protect people who have equity in their home? >> the number one concern they have is that they are not sure that their kids will ever be able to own a home. we are going to fix it. >> you're talking about the increased cost of living. you have criticized liberals for

giving money to those 75 years and older. older seniors are less likely to have income and higher health expenses. why should it go to all seniors instead of those who need it most? >> this prime minister is supposed to be fighting against all kinds of discrimination. what we want is for those between 65 and 70 52 spend the private funds in the meantime. >> i am just giving you the example of what the government may have done that. people who are 65-75, those people tend to stay employed and have fewer health costs. >> those people have worked all of their lives until 65 years

old. they have paid for a pension that should be the same for everybody. the government creates two classes of seniors. it is an exit the bow and that it is unacceptable -- it is unacceptable. >> i do not think we should let him off at the hook. . . >> you said in 2019 that canadians should not have to make the impossible choice between paying for medications or putting food on the table. we have seen you in recent months willing to spend owings of dollars on programs of dollars on programs that matters your government -- millions of dollars on programs that matter

to the government. is it no longer a party and should not tell canadians -- is it no longer a priority? >> no one should have to struggle to pay for groceries and medications. we are focused on supporting the provinces and making sure that we give the support we needed. we worked with a number of jurisdictions and signed with prince edward island a national universal -- >> there is nothing in your platform. why would you not? >> we did with prince edward island. we are going to continue to do with others in respect to the provincial jurisdiction that is delivery of health care. we cannot impose it on provinces

who do not want it. we are going to work in partnership to get it done but we did on john carter -- like we did on health care. >> we start here. what is one policy change that you think would make the biggest difference to canadians in terms of cost of living? one change that would help them the most. >> that is a word that we have. we believe that the most important thing is changing the way you create wealth. we believe that transforming our own resources, our own clean energy in our region will create more wealth. this wealth will come from an

environmental protection as well. we should be entitled to do that. without part of the money that is being sent in oil and gas. >> not really. quickly. >> we have some seconds to speak about french-speaking communities -- >> this is about -- >> zero dollars in your full because it budget is zero commitment. zero dollars. you have shown canadians you have no interest in doing -- you promised two years ago. you committed, you campaigned on

it and you included it in your results speech. you have abandoned it. how can people trust any promise you make when there is zero dollars in your plan? >> briefly? >> $1 billion in the platform for canadians. better support for seniors in care, better support for mental health services, and access to a primary care doctor or team. that is what $25 billion over the next four years gives. his is backloaded to 10 years from now. >> the question was what policy would have the biggest impact on people's cost of living? >> we have the perfect example of this. the biggest thing that could make a difference in the cost of living is a change in the

culture in ottawa. it is so painful for me because i had the experience of having my grandparents work until they were 75. wondering how they were going to feed themselves some nights. one day of delay is too much. when i think we could have people working -- >> what is the policy? >> is not an anecdote. it is a change in the culture because there are several parties on this platform that agree on guaranteed livable income and universal childcare. it is always soon to come. >> we are juggling the canadian workers benefit. that is a race for working families. these are people working hard, respect where they go to get up to work a shift in a restaurant or work to open their small business.

we are going to get costs down. we are the only party with a recovery plan that includes all canadians. when it comes to cynicism, all of the commitments continue to be a priority. he is going to get to the calls to action, he is going to have transparency, he is going to make targets. he announces things and never delivers. a prime minister has to deliver on the word. not just a plan to get there. >> i will take lessons on you about making promises and not following up. we are holding to the gun lobby, the anti-vaxxers, -- >> this is affordability and we are out of time. you have five seconds. >> we were able to lift one million people out of poverty and create jobs at the same time with the right kind of investments. >> i have to wrap you there.

it is now time for our next seam on covert recovery. -- our next theme on covid recovery. ♪ >> ethan hermon is standing by. he is an undecided voter and he wants to hear from you about covid recovery. go ahead. >> good evening. my question is this, coming out of this pandemic, how will you unify and drive canada forward with respect to health care, jobs and the economy and entering a higher quality of life is achievable for all canadians? regardless of race, caller, creed, or sexual orientation? -- color, creed, or sexual

orientation? >> we are going to create one million jobs in one year. we are going to clean up the accountability mess in ottawa. we want to be more ready for a pandemic and get our finances under control. i want to get people working want to families a break. this is the moment i became a conservative leader i have been reaching out. no matter your indigenous, a new canadian, you are important to canada's recovery and important to the conservative party would i ask for you to look -- and imported to the conservative party. i would ask you to look to canada. >> it is about changing the culture of politics in ottawa we have heard from outgoing mps how

important it is that the culture has become toxic, hyper-partisan. there used to be a time in the legislature could you would have a question not and you would get across party lines and commit to find solutions. we need less partisanship, we need more diverse voices we can get the access to the best ideas in a more collaborative way. >> thank you for your question. your question touched on a number of things. health care is near and dear to my heart. our health care system has not been there it is not because of the pandemic, the problems were there before. we need to invest in our health care system and defend it. we want to get out profit, the

greed, we want to invest in pharma care for all. have zero dollars to commit towards it. we want to see everybody have access to medication, include dental care into our health care system. we want to make sure that the billionaires are paying their fair share. >> once we get out of this pandemic. we have plans on being more ambitious on climate change and making sure the people get good jobs. we have to get out of the pandemic first. the unequivocal leadership that we have shown as the government on making sure that everyone it's ask and he did -- making sure that everyone it's vaccinated. we cannot rebuild the economy until we get past this pandemic. my competitor wants to get

canada vaccinated, his own constituents are not vaccinated. >> let us be efficient. health care is jurisdiction of the provinces. those are under the jurisdictions who should have the resources to do their job. the promises of the conservatives is 3.5% of an increase for the first three years with -- which is far from what the provinces asked for. what the provinces asked for is not even in the program. it will be hard to be efficient for -- if those who are in health care do not have the resources which are owed to them. >> thank you for your question. it is now time, ms. paul, i want

to talk about canada's parallel pandemic. the opioid crisis. since it has taken hold, more than 20,000 canadians have died, often in the shadows. it is tearing families apart. to both of you, starting with ms. paul, did the legal will exist to confront it -- does the political will exist to confront? >> we need to recognize this was a national health emergency. and then to decriminalize simple possession because we need to and the stigma and create a national -- end the stigma and create a national program. we did not hear anything from anyone and it comes back to the

question about unity. can we not unify around something like this where it is clear what we need to do? if we cannot do that, none of these other things are possible. >> we need to respond to this crisis with everything we have. we have called for it to be declared a public health emergency. the approach that has been taken for decades does not work. the approach of arresting someone, putting them through the criminal justice system, it does not make the community is safer and it does not help people. we have been saying we need to provide health care responses to people. we need to make sure we are doing everything we can to sue by -- we to make sure that we are providing safe supply. if there is any step we can take to save lives, we need to take it. >> that is the question.

is there a political will? we wanted it before parliament dissolved. life will be lost because of it. >> mr. trudeau, this round to you. starting with you, during the pandemic, canadians watched in horror the suffering of their most vulnerable and frail loved ones in long-term care. what if, tomorrow, you had to place a family member in a long-term care facility. what you do it? -- would you do it? >> tomorrow is my mother's 73rd birthday. we work with seniors who are tremendously worried dropped the pandemic.

we know that the conditions for people who work in those long-term care homes are often dictating the conditions of care. we will hire 50,000 new personal support workers working with the provinces. the money also increasing the minimum salary to two to five dollars an hour for our most vulnerable. >> if you had to put your mother in long-term care, you would do it? >> yes. i would make sure that they are properly well cared. we will work with the provinces deliver that. we put real money forward for that. >> this is where we need partnerships. we are going to have a $3 billion fund that the provinces can draw on. that is in addition of our city billion dollar commitment over 10 years to the public health care system.

we need to partner with the provinces, not great fights. learning -- not great fights. learning is something we need. >> what you put a loved one in -- >> we have to get through the pandemic first. when the fourth wave, everything in the recovery relates to getting out of the pandemic, -- >> four minutes than i did. the debate is almost over. some do not have to worry they will have the money. some do. in order to give them the care they need. the care they deserve. those responsible for those cares should add without

conditions because it is their responsibility. it is their expertise, the resources required. what did they say? the did not say that quebec is not good enough. they said they lacked resources. >> thank you. leaders, we are starting -- we are running out of time. you have had the most time tonight. we are moving on to our final journalist of the night. i am welcoming evan solomon, he is going to be putting questions to you on covid recovery. >> good to see all of you. your pandemic recovery plan is on costed you promise to pay for

your promises with taxing the super rich and corporations. what would you do to create the one million jobs you are promising and make sure that canada stays competitive? >> we have the only credible plan that is not going to cut help to canadians, not going to put the burden on those who struggle, we would tax the billionaires. it would make sure that companies like amazon start paying their fair share. so we can invest in people. they're going to put the burden back on you. mr. trudeau has already started cutting help to people. i believe in making sure that we invest in pharmacare. in doing this we will lower the cost of living, also create jobs by investing in the future

economy. >> only four months ago you released a budget that was billed as a pandemic recovery program. it had 101 billion dollars of new spending. now you have a new plan that as some date billion dollars of new spending. how do canadians -- 78 billion dollars of new spending. how do canadians trust that? how are we going to pay for this? >> i made a promise to have people's backs. i told him i would be there for you. that is what we have done. it is not because we are nice, it was being there because that is the best way to ensure a strong recovery. our budget showed our ambitions for this country including dollar a day childcare.

we -- 10 dollars a day childcare. even with our fully costed platform, on housing, on supporting people, the debt of our country continues to decrease. >> is it important to have a plan to balance the budget? >> it is important to stay physically responsible -- fiscally responsible. >> you have not clear if you support the need for vaccine passports are mandatory vaccines. given that the fourth wave is a pandemic of the unvaccinated and threatening to overwhelm many health care systems, how you justify not supporting the measures that have proven effective? >> we just got a video today asking everyone to get vaccinated. we have been supporting

vaccination. >> mandatory vaccination. >> this is again where policy gets put aside for partisan advantage. there is everyone on this stage understands that everyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated. we to encourage people to do it. every single person on this stage has said that of course they're going to be people who are not able to get oxen aided. -- vaccinated. we will always be guided by the science. we will never put partisan concerns above but health. >> you promise a $60 billion budget transfer to health care. it is only eight transfer of $3.6 billion for the next five years. you also support private synergies.

can you specify exactly what kind of private health care innovations you want to see more of? if a province introduces more private health care, would you enforce holding back any of your promised funding? >> i support our public and universal system. i said it is paramount. after covid-19, we need to rebuild it. a 6% increase per year, stable, without conditions funding. we will respect them running out of putting priorities to get wait times it down and get more choice for public access. on top of that, we have a substantial commitment to mental health and treatment for addiction. >> you said private. >> and are in charge of their system, we will respect that.

-- they are in charge of their system and we will respect that. we will get it to our physicians. >> all right. >> many rely on the federal government. the canadian armed forces came to say people in quebec. a strong offender mention -- a strong fundamental is undermining -- which quebec fails to protect. why should they not also enforce national standard? >> all over canada, what a canadian can do that! becker -- that a quebecerr cannot do.

i do not see that. i do not see i am a lesser person than a canadian. i am a national norm or

>> this is the second time he said we are the only party mr. to go: he continues to pretend it makes no difference whether there -- party. mr. trudeau: he continues to attend makes no difference. it makes a huge difference to families whether they have a

government that has a plan to move beyond the harbor targets on fighting climate change. i know -- >> you have not been in. >> $3 million. that would be something. this is an important issue. labor shortage. we should be promising workers. we need people to work and that raises the question of productivity. they should be turned toward that issue. >> in this pandemic election that he called he says he

doesn't worry about monetary policy. now he is saying he doesn't ever intend to balance the budget. he is spending $424 million a day. >> the question is what programs will stay. >> last minutes of play. five seconds to you. ms. paul: we have to remember the pandemic is not over and people need the benefits. they should be there until the pandemic is over and until the people of canada. you can see there is a lot of work left to do. >> we demanded for mr. $2 -- mr. trudeau and people have to make the impossible choice of going in sick and not going in because they couldn't pay their bills.

22 times over 18 months we demanded an expansion and mr. trudeau said no to you. >> 10 days of paid sick leave. >> you have seen tonight the extreme differences between the perspective candidates pay we need canadians to make the right choice. >> we are out of time. that is it for the english language leaders debate. voting date is september 20 or get your ballot, make sure you are registered on behalf of the leaders debate consortium, i want to thank everyone who made this happen. good night. >> this week, watch c-span's january 6, use from the house, were 14 members of congress

share stories of what they saw, heard, and experienced that day. >> at that moment, i simply shouted out at the top of my lungs, this is because of you. >> the capitol police officers started coming into the chamber and they were being loud and we were actively debating and they were making a lot of commotion. the doors of the chamber are typically open but they started shutting the doors. >> at some point someone up in the chambers in the gallery, a member, was yelling at the republicans to call trump and have trump call off his mob. >> there were a lot of freshmen there that i got to know. they were kind of watching them and talking to my fellow colleagues about what we could do to try and stop this.