candidates reveal how they would stand up to Donald Trump

How Canada should stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s many threats against the economy and sovereignty of its northern neighbour was a running theme of Monday night’s French-language Liberal leadership debate.

Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canada – which he says are starting next month – as well as his insistence that Canada should become the 51st American state came up dozens of times in questions and answers at the debate in Montreal.

Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould and Frank Baylis squared off in the first of two back-to-back debates. An English-language debate is scheduled for Tuesday.

The winner of the Liberal leadership race, to be announced March 9, will replace Justin Trudeau as both party leader and prime minister. With little time until voting begins and just two weeks before the winner is announced, the debates are the only chances Liberal supporters will have to see the candidates together.

Carney, the presumed front-runner, says Canada must leverage its resources, strengthen its own economy and increase ties with the European Union and other friendly nations to cut ties and reduce dependence on the U.S.

“Trump of today, he isn’t the same as before. He’s more isolationist, more aggressive. Before, he wanted a piece of our economy. Now, he wants our country,” Carney said.

“We need to focus on what we can control. We can’t control President Trump. We need to reinforce our economy immediately. It will reinforce our negotiating position.”

Carney also says the country’s premiers need to be convened to work on eliminating interprovincial trade barriers to ensure Canada’s provincial, territorial and federal governments work together against Trump’s threats.

“We can be masters of our own domain,” Carney said.

Former finance minister Freeland’s position was more combative. Calling Trump the biggest threat against Canada since World War II, Freeland says Canada must impose counter-tariffs on the U.S. – including a 100 per cent tariff on Tesla vehicles – and create internal pressure there.

“We can stand up to him and we can win,” said Freeland, who touted her own NAFTA negotiations with Trump during his first presidency.

Former House leader Gould says Canada needs a calm leader to counter Trump’s desire to “create chaos.” She says the U.S. president respects force and that she knows how to engage with such people.

She says the federal government must help Canadian businesses enter other markets, and added she is proud of how Canadians have reacted in unison to Trump’s threats.

“We need to understand that Canadian businesses have a lot to offer the world,” she said. “Not just the United States, but other countries.”

Former MP and Montreal businessman Baylis called Trump an intimidator and said he met many businesspeople like the U.S. president over the years.

“I can predict what Trump will do,” Baylis said, adding as prime minister he would not visit Trump in the White House but would send delegates instead.

Baylis said the talk of negotiation with Trump is meaningless, since Canada already has a trade agreement in place which isn’t being respected by the American president. He is proposing a new economic alliance between Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.

The candidates also took aim at Pierre Poilievre’s relations with Trump. Carney said the Conservate leader venerated Trump too much to oppose him; Gould said Poilievre would do whatever the U.S. president wants; Freeland said Poilievre is too weak to stand up to Trump.

The debate was moderated by Former TVA-Québec anchor Pierre Jobin.

Minutes before the debate began, the Liberal party’s national director announced ousted leadership candidate Ruby Dhalla lost her appeal after being disqualified from the race. The party’s vote committee last week said Dhalla had violated multiple rules.

Health care

It was on the topic of health care that Baylis presented the most detailed plan of any candidate on the stage. Prompted by a question on how to improve Quebec’s health-care system, Baylis, who made his fortune in medical technology, spoke confidently about his vision to “build the best health-care system in the world.”

“Right now we only have two doors to enter the health system. You either have a doctor or you have to go to the emergency room,” he said.

“So I want to form more nurse practitioners, invest in homecare, and I want to enlarge the practice of pharmacists to give them more diagnosing power.”

Freeland was the first to answer the question and pitched her plan to recruit doctors and nurses from the U.S. to Canada.

Carney spoke about eliminating obstacles for doctors and nurses in Canada and utilizing artificial intelligence in health care, while Gould spoke of holding the provinces more accountable for how they spend their federal health transfers.

“In my view, there was too much money spent without results. It’s not for the federal government to have these results, it’s Canadians because it’s their money,” Gould said, adding she wants agreements with provinces and territories on mental health services.

Taxes

To support Canadians who are struggling financially, Freeland says she would reduce taxes for the middle class, limit credit card interest rates, add 100,000 daycare spots and ensure more affordable housing is created.

Baylis says he would increase productivity and implement budget discipline to allow the value of the Canadian dollar to increase and the cost of goods to go down.

Gould says she would cut taxes and create more housing to help first-time home buyers and put an end to homelessness.

Carney says he would cut taxes for middle-class families and invest in programs like daycare.

Immigration

On immigration, Baylis says it’s important to control the numbers and have a “smart” system.

Carney, who announced his immigration plan on Monday, says there’s a housing crisis in Canada and that there needs to be a cap on immigration for some time to balance the system.

Freeland says Canada should be a country that welcomes immigrants but it needs enough social services and housing for the people it welcomes. She also says Canada needs to use the talent of immigrants and recognize qualifications that have been earned abroad.

Gould says the government has been too ambitious with immigration targets and calls for conversations with provinces and territories.

Crime and vehicle theft

Gould says there are businesses that benefit from theft and the Criminal Code needs to be changed. She says provinces, territories and municipalities need to make sure their police forces have the tools they need to protect citizens.

Freeland says the government needs to control the border more effectively.

Baylis says problems like homelessness and a lack of housing push people into criminal lifestyles. He also says Canada needs to negotiate with the U.S. on border issues and the threat posed by illegal weapons crossing into Canada.

Carney says it’s crucial to secure the border and invest in police and surveillance. He says it’s also important to strengthen the Criminal Code and have a buyback program for banned firearms.

Return to a balanced budget?

Carney says he plans to balance the operational budget in three years.

Baylis says he would manage the budget by increasing productivity.

Israel-Palestine conflict

Gould says Canada’s position should be to work towards peace and security and provide more humanitarian aid, emphasizing the need for a two-state solution.

Freeland and Carney say Trump’s declarations on Palestinians in Gaza aren’t acceptable and that hostages should be returned.

Baylis says Canada has to be a moral leader and formally recognize Palestine as a nation.

Ukraine aid

Freeland says Canada has to stand with Ukrainians and use seized Russian money to help the country defend itself.

Gould says Canadians have to be allied with Europeans and that freedom is on the line.

Baylis says Trump has essentially allied his country with Russia and that Canada has a role to play with regard to its other allies.

—With files from The Canadian Press