Canadian debate: What did voters think of candidates?

Canada’s election campaign has ramped into top gear with voting day just over a week away.

The leaders of major parties participated in debates on Wednesday (in French) and Thursday (in English), pitching their visions for the future of the country during an uncertain time.

On stage were Liberal leader Mark Carney, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh and the Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet.

The BBC has spoken to six voters who took in Thursday’s debate as they work out who to cast their ballot for on 28 April.

Kim, 36, said she liked that the leaders focused on substance during the debate, and found Mark Carney to be a breath of fresh air.

Today’s debate was surprising in terms of the dynamic between the candidates. I think it was a bit more centred around content than blaming one another.

I find it refreshing that Carney is not a career politician, and it showed in the debate. The way he spoke was business-like – in both the French and English debates – and he was able to express his points very clearly compared to practiced politicians.

Pierre Poilievre felt like a broken record, constantly looking at the camera to send his message. It was like watching an advertisement.

My values align with the NDP, but I don’t think Singh can be a leader for the Canadians. So my vote is still for Carney, as I think he has the best plan.

John, who is 64 and works in construction, was disappointed by the overall quality of the debate but said the Conservative leader was the clear winner.

The debate was all very respectful. I didn’t get a sense that anyone was having a go at each other, unlike in the good old days of hot-headed debate – those days seem to be over.

Pierre Poilievre was the winner at the end of the day. I don’t think there was a big difference between him and Carney, but Poilievre was better for sure.

Poilievre made some good points, pointing to the nine-and-a-half years of the Liberals in power and the catastrophic mess they’ve made. Carney tried to pitch himself as some kind of Lancelot figure, but didn’t come across as different to what was there before.

At the end of it, I was disappointed. I didn’t feel anyone left the table with a phenomenal finish.

Thomas, 29, has lived in the UK and is voting in his first Canadian election.

I think it was pretty good debate, and nothing too crazy was said. The Liberal and Conservative leaders stayed on track, sticking to their initial messages.

The loser of the debate was Jagmeet Singh. He came across a bit desperate and frantic in the way he was trying to attack on multiple fronts.

The key thing that stood out for me was that all the leaders were emphasizing a strong Canada in the face of foreign influence.

My big concerns were the environment, the cost of living and a strong Canada – they addressed those issues well, although I don’t think anything new was brought up.

On the whole, the debate was civil, useful, and very Canadian.

54-year-old Thierry said the debate highlighted the contrast in rhetoric between the Liberal and Conservative parties in Canada.

Pierre Poilievre showed a more prime ministerial attitude today, rather than being the attack dog he has been over the past few months.

But his pre-formatted spiel was very annoying – it was as if he was trying to beat it into voters that 10 years of Liberal government was bad for Canada.

We also saw a Mark Carney who was very confident, very respectful, quite the opposite of what the Conservative party has shown so far in mimicking the Republican party in the US in terms of rhetoric.

The standout moment was when Mark Carney told Poilievre that the carbon tax and Trudeau were “both gone” – to me that was akin to a smash that is unexpected in a tennis match. A highlight, and a very effective and honest response.

Lindsay, a 61-year-old retired civil servant, was impressed with the performance of Yves-Francois Blanchet.

This debate reinforced a few things, but didn’t changed anything.

From a western Canadian perspective, the Bloc Quebecois leader had a few good comments. I liked that he said he was willing to work within the Canadian federation as long as Quebec’s sovereignty is respected. It’s not something we understand in western Canada.

He’s not someone I’ll be able to vote for, but I was impressed by his performance.

When talking about security and Canada’s sovereignty, I think Mr Carney stood out as he appeared to have the best, thought-out plan going forward.

The Conservative party just had their quips, which rub me the wrong way. Pierre Poilievre kept diving back to [Justin] Trudeau, but let’s give Mr Carney an opportunity.

41-year-old Adrienne said the debate showed off the strength of Canada’s democracy, but hoped for more of a concrete discourse on climate policy.

I am proud of the quality of the debate – it was respectful, dignified dialogue between high-calibre politicians. Canada has once again demonstrated to the world that it is a strong, multi-party democracy.

Mark Carney’s idea of free trade in Canada by Canada day is a winning policy, and the concept of a national bureau to address the housing crisis – which was mentioned during the French debate – is one that should be explored.

But I found it difficult to relate to the picture that the Conservative leader was painting of the current Canadian experience in the sense that there is widespread chaos and crime.

I wish there was more in the public discourse about the climate crisis and that leaders had to commit to climate action. I agree that Canada could be a clean energy superpower, but that they made no commitment was a little disappointing – which could have happened had the Green party been invited.

The 57-year-old university professor said the debate reinforced his feeling that Canada is in good hands whoever is elected.

I’m personally confident that either Pierre Poilievre or Mark Carney are capable leaders, and I’m not worried about whether the wrong person wins.

I’m more worried about the next year when the world might be on fire, as Trump seems prepared to make such extreme moves. Nothing is off the table with him.

If we go into a crisis, I’m sure Poilievre and Carney will put aside their differences and work together and do the job as well as it can be done.

So to the extent that Canada can be well prepared in the face of this looming threat, I’m confident that whoever the leader is is going to be able to manage it as well as it can be managed.

In the lead-up to election day, BBC Voter Voices is hearing from Canadians around the country about what matters to them.