Canada PM, opponents clash over refugee policy in debate

Justin Trudeau for all his talk about trade has an infrastructure plan that focuses exclusively on social infrastructure and urban transit, which may help with trade in services but not in the broader context of Canadian trade.

One man carried a huge sign reading “no no no” to all three leaders. A New Democrat government would create a new parliamentary science officer position and would encourage scientists to speak their minds, Mulcair announced.

Johnston 74 who is appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the prime minister is usually a figurehead who presents awards and attends commemorative events while also giving routine royal assent to Canadian laws once they pass Parliament.

The Conservatives are conducting negotiations toward a massive 12-country trade deal – that could well prove to be their campaign centrepiece – in secret in the middle of an election, the Liberals and NDP charged Wednesday.

It’s a guess, because the numbers aren’t in, but it’s unlikely Monday’s debate drew huge viewership, which is a pity because this encounter even had the potential to move votes.

The refugee issue has come up repeatedly during the election campaign, and with it the related arguments around how to approach the civil war in Syria, how to shape immigration policy, and what constitutes an optimal level of development aid.

But, in Trudeau’s case, you can shore up what was thought to be your weakest flank and head into the final weeks with momentum.

The second-most mentioned moment of the debate on Facebook came about 14 minutes later when during a question about how Canada should deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Mulcair attacked Trudeau.

But he also stressed achievements of his government on the domestic front directly in response to community concerns, among them a GST exemption on acupuncture products and the announcement of an advisory board on traditional Chinese medicine.

Canadians got two distinct world visions when Trudeau and Harper clashed. He has said he is open to working with parties other than the Conservatives but says Trudeau has slammed the door shut on cooperation. His call for the entry of 25,000 refugees is not about politics, he said, it is about returning this country to its former role.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also amped up his ardour, pounding home the point that convicted terrorists have no home in Canada and can expect to be stripped of their citizenship, while painting his rivals as soft on security. “At the end of the day, Mulcair or Trudeau could conceivably act the same way. It is money that exists within the current budgetary framework but has not been spent yet on First Nations education”.

At a Mid Autumn Festival celebration in a Toronto suburb Tuesday night, Stephen Harper took the stage in front of hundreds of Chinese Canadians and was handed a brush for the traditional painting of the dragon’s eyes, done to awaken the sleeping giants so they can begin to dance.

Mulcair recalled Harper telling a reporter in 2011 that the pipeline should be “no-brainer” and in 2013 that he wouldn’t “take no for an answer”.

May proposes that Johnston not wait for that but instead ask the Liberals and the NDP to form a government if they are prepared to support each other.

Trudeau told Harper that in the north, the locals believe he is “big sled, no dog”.

There was likely nothing said Monday that would cause Harper’s bedrock base to wobble. Mike Petersen, that country’s envoy for agriculture, said several countries including Canada haven’t gone far enough.