Clashes and controversy at the leaders’ debates

The House

There was no shortage of clashes and controversy as major party leaders’ squared off against each other in Montreal in both French and English. There were battles over pipelines, crime, change and how to deal with Donald Trump. Behind the scenes — concerns over how the debates were managed by organizers. Who came out on top and what’s the future of the debates? Party strategists share their thoughts.

Plus, political parties have made lots of promises, but they’re dragging their feet on how much those promises cost. A former federal budget watchdog explains why fully costed platforms matter and what it means when they’re unveiled so late in the campaign.

Next, host Catherine Cullen meets the Bloc Québécois candidate for LaSalle-Émard-Verdun on location in the recently flipped riding to ask how he hopes to hold on to his seat – as his party tries to win over voters across the province.

Finally, The House does a deep dive into the riding of Calgary Centre, where Premier Danielle Smith’s interjections into the campaign have provoked reactions from some voters.

This episode features the voices of:

• Marci Surkes, Liberal strategist
• Kate Harrison, Conservative strategist
• George Soule, NDP strategist
• Sahir Khan, executive vice-president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy
• Louis-Philippe Sauvé, Bloc Québécois candidate for LaSalle-Émard-Verdun
• Allison Dempster, CBC reporter and producer based in Calgary