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Economy will be front and centre in tonight’s leaders’ debate

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – With just over a month to go until election night, the leaders of the three major federal parties are about to face off over the economy.

The Globe and Mail leaders’ debate begins tonight at 5 p.m. Pacific. Click here to watch a live stream.

This debate differs from past ones in that it only focuses on the one topic.

Globe and Mail reporter Jane Taber will handle the pre and post-debate discussion panels. She says the format tweak makes it more likely that we’ll see some sparring when Tom Mulcair, Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper take the stage.

“We’re hoping so. The format of the debate is one that is designed to allow a lot of exchanges between and amongst the leaders. And just by focusing on the economy — which is really the biggest story of the year and also the biggest story of this election campaign — you’ll see that there’s a lot of competition,” says Taber.

She says the fact the economy is the only topic bodes well for Harper, especially on the heels of this week’s budget surplus announcement.

“I think that he will be really playing up an optimistic kind of look but one that we have to be careful, [and ask] is the time to change players?'”

But Taber still likes Trudeau and Mulcair’s chances.

“I think [their chances] good because what the two opposition leaders have to do is show that they are also a steady hand — that they have a plan that Canadians can trust. Because we have been through almost 10 years of Conservative government under Mr. Harper and we know what they can do.”

But a political scientist with UBC says no matter how hard Trudeau and Mulcair try, Harper is likely to stay focused and on message. Allan Tupper doesn’t expect any major surprises.

“You will see a very set piece debate where the established leader basically does as little as possible and just seeks to avoid errors,” he predicts.

Are televised debates even relevant anymore and do people care?

As far as how many people will be watching, Tupper says he’s not expecting huge numbers.

“It’s an interesting format. This is one you would expect people to examine, but it’s hard to say what the viewership will be. The other thing in this one is we’re not fairly advanced into the campaign compared to where the first one was.”

He says the timing means the leaders are likely to be more disciplined, stick to the script, and not get off topic.

But Taber is still crossing her fingers for some fireworks. “We’re hoping for that illusive knockout punch that you’re always looking for in a debate. We’re hoping it’s going to happen in the Globe debate.”

Listen for full coverage of the Globe & Mail leader’s debate tonight starting at 5 p.m. Pacific on NEWS 1130, and watch it live on NEWS 1130.com. Green Party leader Elizabeth May was not invited to this debate, but has decided to live-tweet her responses; we will be pulling in her tweets on our live stream page.

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