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After an appeal from the NDP and Bloc Qu茅b茅cois, the debate commission moved up Wednesday’s debate to start at 6 p.m. to avoid conflict with a potentially crucial Montreal Canadiens hockey game in the team’s bid for a Stanley Cup playoff berth. Thursday’s English-language debate will start at 7 p.m.听

Carney takes the stage

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, who has never before run for public office, said Tuesday he welcomes the debates as one tool among many to get his message across.

鈥淚t’s all part of the process of making sure that Canadians are well informed to make a choice in the most important election of our times,鈥� he said Tuesday morning at a campaign event in Saint-Eustache, Que.

The French-language debate will be a key test for Carney, who has rated his own French language skills as a “six out of 10.”听

A senior Liberal source, who spoke on background to talk candidly about campaign strategy, said Carney has known since early on that he needs to improve his language skills and on that front has been preparing since he launched his leadership for the Liberal party.听

“Debate prep started in January,” the source said.听

They also noted that Carney’s schedule over the last week has included two lengthy French language appearances, the “Cinq Chefs,” and “Toute le Monde en Parle” television programs on Radio-Canada. During press conferences this week, his speeches have also been 70 to 80 per cent French and he has tried to take questions from many French reporters.听

The Liberal staffer predicted Blanchet would attempt to give Carney a rough ride. Even though he has never been in a debate before, they predicted he would handle himself well during the debates.

“He has experience in high-stress situations,” they said.听

Which Poilievre shows up听

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was not asked about the debates in a media availability on Tuesday, but a Conservative campaign official who spoke to the Star on background in order to discuss campaign strategy said they’re going to be pushing a message of change throughout both the French and English debates.听

Poilievre, who is known as a fierce combatant in the House of Commons’ question period, will also be participating in his first national debate. The Conservative source said Poilievre hopes to use the debates to highlight his call for change after 10 years of Liberal rule.听

The source added that Poilievre is “not going to hesitate to call out Liberal failures.” They said while Carney is a novice politician, he has appeared before parliamentary committees in Canada and the U.K. and has clearly put in a lot of time prepping.听

“Carney is an accomplished speaker,” said the senior Conservative.

The Liberal source said they are prepared for any version of Poilievre to show up from the attack dog he is in question period to a “friendly neighbourhood Poilievre,” who appeared on “Toute le Monde en Parle.”

NDP tries to break through

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his debate strategy will be to challenge both Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

Singh announced Tuesday that an NDP government would reinstate the capital gains tax changes that the Liberal government proposed last year, but withdrew shortly after Carney became prime minister last month.听

Singh said reversing the planned tax hike will only benefit the wealthy, and force the government to cut services that people rely on.

鈥淚’m going to challenge (Carney) in the debate, saying, ‘Why do you think it’s the right thing to do, particularly in this time of all times, to cut services by $43 billion and give a tax break to millionaires?’ 鈥�

Singh said he would also challenge Poilievre, whom he accused of wanting to change Canada.听

鈥淚’m going to take on Pierre Poilievre. He wants Canada to be the United States in all but name, and I think that鈥檚 wrong.鈥�

An NDP source said it’s hoped the debates can be a spark for the party, which is struggling in the polls, and could give them some momentum headed into the final week.听

“It’s a good opportunity for people to see us,” the source said.听

The NDP said they expect Blanchet to be a significant player in the French debate, as he also battles to get noticed in the election campaign.听

The Greens and the Bloc

Blanchet objected this week to the inclusion of Green Party co-Leader听Jonathan Pedneault in the debate.听

The debate commission invited the Greens to the debate after the party pledged it would run candidates in all 343 ridings, meeting the commission’s target of a party that commits to run candidates in 90 per cent of ridings. But the Greens have only fielded candidates in 68 per cent of ridings.听

The commission nevertheless has kept the party in both debates and Pedneault will make his first appearance in the national debates, as well.

The debates will each run for two hours without commercials breaks on most national broadcasters, and be livestreamed on thestar.com听and mobile app, and will also run online on YouTube.

According to the debate organizers, the French-language debate will see the leaders asked to address the cost of living, energy and climate, the U.S. trade war, identity and sovereignty, and immigration and foreign affairs. The English-language debate will focus on the cost of living, energy and climate, leading in a crisis, public safety, and tariffs and threats to Canada.