Today's News: Liberal debate night two "Chrystia Freeland won on tone, Mark Carney won on policy"

It was the second night of the Liberal leadership debates, and once again, no fireworks:

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This is where I'm at now too:

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Althia Raj / Toronto Star

Opinion | 5 things we learned about Mark Carney from the Liberal leadership debates

... Carney’s key policies

Carney repeated that he’s laser focused on the economy, on growing wages faster than inflation, and pledged to be a more hands on manager than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Among his promises: a middle-income tax cut, scrapping the GST on the purchase of new homes, eliminating the consumer price on carbon. He said he’ll keep the Liberals’ child care, dental care, and pharmacare programs. He wants to increase competition in the grocery, broadband, and transportation sectors, and suggested he’d continue with the Liberals’ firearms buyback program, and “reinforce” Criminal Code provisions for sexual abuse. He demonstrated a keen interest in artificial intelligence, and sees Canadian investments there as key to finding government efficiencies and combating cybersecurity and information warfare.

Carney is open to new pipelines

Carney also suggested it is “possible” a Liberal government under his watch builds a new pipeline. There could be an Energy East-type project, he said, bringing Alberta’s oil to the Maritimes, but he suggested it would have to be built to displace American imports. Trump had changed the calculations, he suggested. But a new pipeline would only get built, if it is in the interest of the entire country and the provinces would get a veto. “Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan must be in agreement,” he said.

Bill 21

Carney appears to be breaking rank with Trudeau’s firm opposition to Bill 21. The Quebec legislation bars wearing religious symbols by people in some public sector jobs, such as teachers and judges — and the current federal government argues the law breaches the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. When the candidates were asked about that Monday, Carney responded, “There must be reasonable accommodations.” Then he said he would “respect absolutely the tradition of laicïté” — often described as the separation between church and state — “here in Quebec.” ...

And here are a few excerpts from the Toronto Star reporters live-blog of tonight's debate: 

Ryan Tumilty, Alex Ballingall, Althia Raj, Susan Delacourt and Tonda MacCharles / Toronto Star

Liberal leadership debate: Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould and Frank Baylis square off in English

Four candidates remain in the race to replace Justin Trudeau. But one person loomed large over the debate — and he doesn’t live in Canada.

What to know:

-Karina Gould took her own advice on dealing with Trump — “You can’t bring a calculator to a knife fight” — and pitched herself against her rivals head-on in the debate, showing a sharper, more elbows-up style of progressive politics than the others.

-Mark Carney, the non-politician, encapsulated his pitch to Liberals as the right leader to confront Trump at the very end when he said everything in his career “whether by accident or design” (as an economist, investment banker, public servant, and central banker in Canada and England) has made him fight-ready.

-Chrystia Freeland inadvertently highlighted her biggest challenge: her very recent “personal liberation” from the Trudeau government. Nevertheless, it means she is challenged to persuade Canadians she’d be very different, especially after she defended the policies she helped implement.

-Frank Baylis increased the chances he’ll be the subject of many Google searches on Wednesday. After the debate, he said he’d remain a Liberal, but only vaguely committed to running as a candidate, saying his candidacy would be up to the new leader if it's not him.

-The party will choose a leader on March 9.

A couple of excerpts from their blog:

10:03 p.m.

It was a better debate tonight, yes, but I agree with the conclusion shared with me that Chrystia Freeland won on tone, Mark Carney won on policy.

- Susan Delacourt

9:58 p.m.

Overall, a more lively, albeit serious, debate than last nights. I didn’t hear a gaffe by anyone, just a few things that make me curious, wanting to ask a few more questions. A longer race would have offered more opportunities to hear their ideas more in depth perhaps, and to road-test them better.

- Tonda MacCharles

... 9:28 p.m.

Finally, Carney has shown he’s serious. Very serious. But he’s also displayed the downside of having no political experience, whether it’s on the debating floor, or in using both official languages.

His acknowledgement that he’s not a politician works only to an extent. He’s also shown he’s not a true performer, a political athlete, as the strategists call it. Those are real muscles that you have to train and flex on a stage like this.

- Tonda MacCharles

9:26 p.m.

Freeland has done better in both debates than maybe some people expected, and done better than Carney on her feet. She’s a better debater.

But I don’t think she’s successfully prosecuted her case that she represents the change from the Trudeau government that many Canadians say they’re looking for.

- Tonda MacCharles

And no, my questions weren't on tonight either (abortion, disinformation, foreign influence, and Musk citizenship) but I don't doubt they will come up again in the next election campaign.

In other news today:

Trump had another Emily Litella moment : "Hey, you know those tariffs I was babbling about yesterday? Never mind!" 

Alexander Panetta / CBC News

Big tariffs on Canada next week? Not necessarily, White House says

White House clarifies Trump was referring to reciprocal tariffs in latest headline-making comments

...The White House has clarified that North America-wide tariffs are not a done deal, as many news headlines suggested following remarks Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump had been asked Monday whether he's proceeding with tariffs on Canada and Mexico, currently paused until March 4, and he replied: "The tariffs are going forward on time, on schedule," then went on to make vague complaints about unspecified abuses against the United States.

It wasn't totally clear which tariffs Trump was referring to. The president has threatened multiple trade actions, for multiple reasons. For Canada, the ones paused until March 4 represent the gravest threat.

CBC News asked the White House on Tuesday for clarification about which tariff plan, specifically, the president was referring to in his Monday comments.

The White House reply? A different plan for retaliatory tariffs on various countries is, as the president said, moving ahead as scheduled. That plan involves Trump's threat to punish other countries with trade barriers against the U.S., based on a report the president has requested for April 1.

This could have some effects in Canada. Trump's executive order threatening reciprocal tariffs mentions Canada's tax on U.S. digital platforms as one of several foreign policies he'd like to punish.

But this is not the debilitating 25 per cent economy-wide tariff, and the 10 per cent oil tariff, Trump has threatened against Canada and Mexico, under the guise of renegotiating border policies....

We also saw a push back on Elon's "five bullets" memo - and here is Elon feeling sorry for himself:

Americans are horrified at Trump sucking up to Putin.

And Americans are now noticing that Trump and Elon are ignoring the Secretary of State and court rulings:

They have really lost it:

In conclusion:

At its current rate of exponentially escalating chaos, internal and external, the Trump administration will spin into the sun and explode circa middle of next week.

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) February 25, 2025