En Francais

A lot gets lost in translation, so I don't want to declare a winner or try and imagine what francophones watching this debate thought. For what it's worth, I don't think Duceppe was as strong as he's been in debates past. Layton was better tonight than last night and landed a very good shot against Martin in the notwithstanding clause nonsense. Both Martin and Harper were hit and miss. Harper looked dumb with his "I wasn't expecting to answer" line while Paul turned his back on Gilles and looked bad when he mixed up Layton and Harper. But, despite that, I think both of them got their core message out.

That said, the debate was dull, so the story won't be about what they said. The story will be about Harper being a "player" in the debate and Duceppe attacking him. Harper's surge in Quebec will help him coast to coast - as has been the case with everything this election, Harper has benefited from perfect timing.


As for the debate itself:

5:56 pm: I'm listening to the new Liberal ads to get me pumped up for the debate. Say what you want about the content but the tribal drums in the background have got a great beat.

6:05 pm: Oh man, did Harper ever get a bad translator. Holy nasal batman! "Guys...I give me back my retainer! Guys..."

6:06 pm: Martin opens up with "I supported Meech Lake". Oh good grief.

6:11 pm: Paul tells us to "stop the mudslinging". I think we really need some soldiers...on the streets...in Canada, to stop the mudslinging.

6:17 pm: Duceppe is really going after Harper. I think we know who he feels his real threat is.

6:19 pm: I think Martin may have accused Layton of being anti-abortion...or he may have proposed a constitutional amendment to allow abortion...it's very difficult to tell with Paul sometimes... (UPDATE: Paul Wells explains the bizarre Martin/Layton abortion exchange in the comments section)

6:29 pm: "The NDP is about people, about producing results. Results for people. We don't play politics. The NDP is a deity upon itself, every action selfless."

6:33 pm: Jack says we need MPs who work for "you", not for their party. His halo is getting brighter and brighter.

6:40 pm: Harper says "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting to have to have to answer". Well geez, you're not watching a movie Stephen - it's a D-E-B-A-T-E.

6:46 pm: This is a bit off topic, but does Harper's hair ever grow? Or does he get daily haircuts? Inquiring minds want to know.

6:51 pm: Woah boy, assisted suicide. Paul's response: "I'll give you a personal answer; Many people have assisted in my political suicide - Scott Reid, Mike Klander, David Herle..."

7:02 pm: I can't tell who's winning this debate, but Martin and Duceppe hit the jackpot on the translators. Jack's sounds like he's a Philosophy professor at Oxford, while Harper's must get beat up by the chess club routinely.
I've also got to say, Paiken asked better questions last night.

7:13 pm: Damn those corporate CEOs and millionaires cruising around the streets of Quebec City in their minivans!

7:14 pm: Lost in translation: "Poverty and Crime end with the same letter but are two different things".

7:31 pm: Things are getting dull. Time for Paul to drop some more policy on the fly here: "Abolish the Senate! Annex the Turks and Caicos!"

7:41 pm: Finally! We get the notwithstanding question! Paul has believed in this for "a long time" apparently. Well, they do say "a week is a long time in politics".

7:48 pm: Put on your 3-D glasses now, and see Paul's hands jet out of the TV towards you.

7:52 pm: A side camera shows Paul wandering around aimlessly five feet from his podium. I don't blame him; I feel like going for a walk too - this has been pretty boring.

7:57 pm: Jack accuses Harper of offering "simplistic solutions to complex problems". Unlike the highly complex "elect more NDP MPs" solution.

8:06 pm: The new Gregg poll: 38-28-16-12.

8:20 pm: Harper didn't have a great debate, but he sure looked good in the media scrum afterwards. He goes after Martin hard on the "military commercial" and all the questions to all the leaders are about how "Harper is now a player in Quebec".

8:23 pm: Wow. Duffy smacks down Duffy.

8:36 pm: I think Paul did fairly well in the debate, but John Duffy is getting absolutely destroyed in the spin room. The Liberals have got to hope people aren't watching this because it's embarrassing.

UPDATE: You can watch Duffy versus Duffy here.