Alberta Debate Live Blog

6:35 pm: Fairly flat opening statements for all four leaders. Vision, future, prosperity, puppies, sunshine.

6:42 pm: Health Care starts with a very substantive discussion between Sherman and Redford, then Mason and Sherman tag team arguing the "two conservative parties" want to privatize Health Care.

6:48 pm: You know what this debate is missing? Gilles Duceppe.

6:51 pm: Raj Sherman uses the term "Fudgeit Budget" twice to describe Redford's budget. I don't think that's going to catch on.

6:52 pm: Brian Mason has crunched the numbers and believes Alison Redford's plan will bring in one billion more than she estimates, which is...bad?

And, no offense Brian, but I would have quoted someone with a little more credibility on economic forecasts than yourself. Like, say, an economist, or a Ouija board.

6:55 pm: Raj Sherman says "Alberta is not Alabama". True. It definitely isn't snowing in Alabama today.

7:05 pm: So the format calls for a question to each leader to kick off the debate. Redford got a tough question on Health Care, Sherman was asked about his plan to raise taxes, and Danielle Smith got the abortion question. Brian Mason's question: "that no meet committee is awful, eh?". Tough one.

7:32 pm: Redford goes after Smith on giving money to candidates who crossed the floor. Smith: "the chief electoral officer is too busy investigating PC corruption to look into this". Redford goes after Smith for her lack of experience. Smith: "You're right, I don't have experience. I don't have experience running deficits. I don't have experience intimidating doctors. I don't have experience giving myself a 30% pay hike".

7:52 pm: Danielle Smith hints about how she'd be able to work with the Liberals and NDP in a minority (coalition?) government. That comments probably inspired 30 newspaper columns and 2 sitcom pilots.

8:00 pm: I'll do a proper write up tomorrow morning, but my initial reaction is that Smith is winning the election but Redford spent more time than her on defense tonight. So I give it to Danielle, even though she wasn't quite as charming as she comes across in photo ops and sound bytes.