Three zingers from the federal leaders’ debate

And three things the leaders said that they probably wish they could take back

Thestar.com
Sept. 18, 2015
By Robin Levinson King

In an age when most things that politicians say are reduced to 15-second sound bites or 140-characters, quips can be political currency.

But they can also backfire. Here are three zingers from the Calgary leaders debate Thursday, and three things they probably wish they could take back.

The zingers(each politician got in a good one-liner):

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper:“We don't measure our level of optimism by our level of spending.”

Harper aimed this arrow at Trudeau’s view that now is a good time to borrow and “invest” in Canada because of low interest rates.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau: “You’ve been stuck in a motorcade for the last 10 years.”

Trudeau chastised Harper for a lack of federal funding for transportation, noting that many Canadians have gruelling commutes that keep them from both work and family.

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair:“Pick one. You just can’t say them both.”

This was a concise and brutal takedown of Trudeau’s economic plan, which simultaneously touts borrowing and balancing the budget.

The stingers(not everything the candidates said was a success):

Harper:“Look, I’ve never said things are great.”

This must be part of Harper’s new “I'm not perfect” modesty shtick, but it quickly became the quote of the night. It’s difficult to argue your leadership is working when you’re also saying that things could be better.

Trudeau: “Puff and Smoke.”

Trudeau tried to light a fire under Mulcair for what he said were misleading socio-economic policies, such as a national childcare strategy that would require provinces to chip in billions of dollars, and a federal minimum wage hike that would not apply to most Canadians earning the minimum wage. Unfortunately, this critique set Mulcair up for this next doozie ...

Mulcair:“You know a lot about that, don’t you, Mr. Trudeau?”

This was clearly a cheap shot, and not Mulcair’s most nuanced moment in the debate. We get it, Trudeau has admitted to smoking pot. But seeing as Mulcair supports decriminalizing marijuana, the barb may have came off a little hypocritical.