Key Moments In The Debates

The federal leaders’ debates - both the English and French editions - are now behind us.

While the media is busy picking winners and losers, we took a different approach.

At Project Confederation, we care less about who "looked strong" or "won the night" - and more about what the leaders actually said on the issues that matter to Canadians who believe in provincial autonomy and a rebalanced federation.

At Project Confederation, we’ve been at the centre of some of Canada’s most important policy debates - on the constitutionality of C-69, the federal government’s unconstitutional emissions cap, the future of pipelines and energy development, and the need to restore respect for provincial jurisdiction.

So we paid close attention to how those debates played out on stage.

Instead of a generic recap, here are a few key moments you might have missed - moments that speak volumes about where the parties stand on the issues we care about:

French Debate Highlights

(Timestamps refer to this video)

Supply Management

2:21:08 – In a discussion about Trump and trade, Liberal Leader Mark Carney vowed that supply management will never be on the table for negotiation. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet went further, suggesting a revival of Bill C-282, which would make such negotiations permanently illegal. The bill passed the House but died in the Senate.

2:23:05 – Carney tentatively expressed support for the bill, saying “maybe” he agrees – to which Blanchet replied that “maybe” is progress.

Our view:

Canada’s supply management system is a protectionist relic that drives up prices for consumers, punishes innovation, and harms Canada’s ability to compete in global trade. Worse, politicians treat it as untouchable - not because it serves the public interest, but because it serves entrenched political interests.

Blocking even the possibility of discussing reform - let alone ending it - should alarm anyone who believes in open markets, individual choice, and economic freedom.

Oil Production

2:52:31 - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh refused to give a straight answer. Instead, he said he supports investment in clean energy and a new east-west clean electricity grid. While the grid may sound nice, it’s worth pointing out the contradiction - Singh opposes pipelines because some provinces don't want them. So what happens if provinces don’t want the grid? Will he oppose that too?

2:53:19 - Liberal Leader Mark Carney gave a qualified “yes”, saying he supports increasing oil production - but noted the need for it to be low-carbon. He added that Canada will need pipelines and carbon capture, but this is the same Carney who hasn’t committed to repealing Bill C-69, the law that makes building pipelines nearly impossible.

2:54:00 - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was more direct. He said he supports increasing production, ensuring oil can get to market via pipelines, and repealing the “No More Pipelines” Bill C-69 outright.

2:55:07 - Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Canada needs to progressively wean itself off oil.

Our view:

Oil and gas remain the backbone of Canada’s economy, and if we want to maintain prosperity, jobs, and our ability to fund public services, we can’t afford to pretend otherwise.

Provinces must have the freedom to responsibly develop their natural resources without federal roadblocks. Supporting increased production while refusing to repeal Bill C-69 amounts to empty words.

Carbon Tax

2:56:25 - Liberal Leader Mark Carney said he would cut the consumer carbon tax, which he noted accounts for about 6% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions reductions. However, he would maintain the industrial carbon tax for major polluters.

2:56:50 - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre committed to going further, pledging to eliminate the industrial carbon tax as well. When asked how the Conservative platform addresses climate concerns, he said that  if Canada could convince India to replace coal with Canadian LNG, it would displace “2.5 billion tonnes of emissions” - 3.5 times Canada’s total emissions. He also said LNG exports could bring significant revenue back to Canada. Poilievre criticized the Liberals for blocking LNG plant construction, and pointed to projects like LNG Québec as an opportunity to reduce Europe’s dependency on Russian energy.

3:01:20 - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh declared that Canada is in the midst of a climate crisis. He said that becoming a father has made him feel even more anxiety about the future, claiming that “people cannot breathe the air.”

Our view:

We strongly support repealing both the consumer carbon tax and the industrial carbon tax.

These taxes don’t just hurt families - they also make Canadian businesses less competitive on the world stage. Scrapping them would offer immediate relief to consumers and remove barriers to job creation and economic expansion.

English Debate Highlights

(Timestamps refer to this video)

Trump and Trade

5:00 - Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet insisted that Quebec must have a seat at the table in any future trade negotiations with the United States. We agree - but so should every province. Ottawa’s top-down approach to trade doesn’t serve Canadians well. Provinces are on the front lines of economic impacts and deserve real influence in federal trade talks.

5:46 - Liberal Leader Mark Carney said he no longer supports “dollar-for-dollar” retaliatory tariffs and instead wants tariffs that have maximum impact on the US with minimal harm to Canadians. He suggested incentivizing Canadian automakers by lowering tariffs if they maintain production and investments in Canada.

7:06 - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Carney of advising the Liberal government, before he was Prime Minister, to block pipeline projects - giving the US a near monopoly on North American energy. He also criticized Carney for still now wanting to keep Bill C-69, which makes it even harder to build new infrastructure, and asked how anyone could support keeping Canadian energy projects at the mercy of American policy.

7:54 - Carney responded by pointing to his short record as Liberal leader, claiming he secured a deal with all provinces and territories to have a single Canadian economy by Canada Day - framing it as “free trade in Canada.” He also claimed a “One Project, One Review” policy was agreed upon under the Impact Assessment Act.

10:13 - Blanchet suggested that Carney is “becoming a real Canadian leader - saying one thing in French and another thing in English”.  He called out Carney for saying in English in British Columbia that he would use emergency powers to force pipelines through Quebec, but then days later in Montreal claiming he would never do that.

Our view:

Retaliatory tariffs do more harm to Canadians than they do to the US, meaning they will also be ineffective.

Instead of blindly escalating trade disputes, Canada needs a strategic and cooperative approach - one that puts the economic interests of provinces and everyday Canadians first.

We must remove protectionist policies and any barriers to free trade - interprovincially, with our neighbours to the south, and internationally.

Pipelines and Infrastructure

11:20 - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Liberal Leader Mark Carney for previously suggesting Canada doesn’t necessarily need to build more pipelines. He pointed out that Bill C-69 effectively halts new projects and accused Carney of aligning with Justin Trudeau in empowering Donald Trump to maintain a monopoly over Canada's most important export - energy.

12:28 - Carney responded by emphasizing that he cut the consumer carbon tax and supports building energy infrastructure like carbon capture projects. He said he's willing to make cooperative agreements with provinces, and, if necessary, use emergency powers to fulfill the federal government’s portion of the responsibility.

12:30 - Poilievre called Carney’s position a “total contradiction.” He argued that Bill C-69 guarantees there will never be a “one-stop shop” for project approvals, as it requires duplicative reviews. He added that under this regulatory environment, Canada has experienced the worst economic stagnation in a generation.

16:01 - Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet emphasized that Quebec, by law, has its own environmental review process, and claimed that the federal government cannot override Quebec’s jurisdiction when it comes to environmental decisions.

16:23 - Liberal Leader Mark Carney acknowledged this, agreeing that the federal government cannot simply bypass Quebec's authority in these matters. Carney further stated that while the feds cannot override provincial jurisdiction, they can still engage in “cooperative federalism”.

16:49 -  Blanchet pointed out that major infrastructure projects like pipelines will take between 10 and 14 years to complete under the current regulatory system and that Donald Trump will be long gone by then.

17:15 -  Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the Liberals for blocking pipeline projects, accusing them of killing jobs and impeding progress. He called for the repeal of Bill C-69, a law he argued stifles energy development, and pledged to approve LNG, mining, pipelines, and nuclear plants to get the country moving again.

Our view:

Now is the time to build pipelines and other infrastructure across Canada, and pursue trade deals with our global allies, to help promote free trade domestically and internationally.

The current regulatory regime makes major projects virtually impossible, costing us jobs, investment, and energy security.

Repealing Bill C-69 is critical if we want to restore Canada’s economic competitiveness. We cannot afford more delays and cancellations - provinces must be empowered to get their resources to market, and Ottawa must stop being the bottleneck.

Did you have any favourite moments in the debates?

If so, send us a note and let us know!

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Thank you for your continued support!

- The Project Confederation Team