Here’s a look at who won the debate in English language on Tuesday as the May 2, 2011 election nears:
MICHAEL IGNATIEFF (LIBERALS)
Best moment: He did what he had to do: Win the one-on-one debate with Stephen Harper. Up until that point, Harper’s calm and collected demeanour made him appear in command while Ignatieff and the other leaders seemed to lack authority and the way to wear it. Ignatieff stripped him down, beginning with: “You haven’t earned a majority. Majorities are things you earn when you earn the trust of the Canadian people.” In that succinct moment, Ignatieff encapsulated Harper’s plight and, perhaps, his legacy. Minutes later, he hammered at Harper’s imperiousness when he told the Conservative leader his contention that the Canadian people were sick of Parliament’s “bickering” was dead wrong. “This isn’t bickering, Mr. Harper this is democracy,” and added that Parliament wasn’t “some pesky little interference that gets in the way of your power.” From then on, Ignatieff pulled himself level with Harper in terms of holding a commanding presence on stage.
Adrian Brijbassi 