Canada

An independent commission will organize federal leaders’ debates for the next election to take the planning out of back rooms where political parties try to design the debates for their own advantage, Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould announced Tuesday.

In an election campaign where Quebec independence is not a defining issue, party leaders held a historic English debate Monday and tried to woo roughly one million anglophones who have traditionally voted overwhelmingly for the federalist Liberals.

Quebec's four would-be premiers sparred in their second language on Monday, making pitches in choppy English to the anglophone community in the province's first-ever televised English-language debate.

The four main party leaders made their pitch to Quebecers in the first televised showdown at a critical juncture in the campaign, with polls suggesting a tight race and nearly half of voters still undecided.

The Conservatives objected to the new format in a recent House committee report, calling the appointment of a new commissioner to oversee debates an example of ‘government intervention.’ The objections are just ‘partisan positioning,’ says the parliamentary secretary to the democratic institutions

Among those who said they watched or heard something about the debate, 17 per cent said Elliott won, and 16 per cent opted for Ford. Twelve per cent of respondents said Mulroney won the debate.

Held on the eve of an election, debates inform voters about leaders’ policy positions and they see how leaders act in a high-pressure situation. And like the playoffs, leader debates tend to engage larger audiences, with plenty of analysis, punditry and social media flurry in the days following.

Candidates fight over who can renew the party, but also the legacy of their 16 years in office

Facebook and Twitter say Ottawa should consider incorporating digital platforms in leaders’ debates, reigniting broader questions about social media’s function in the democratic process.

The Trudeau government intends to create an independent body to organize leaders’ debates during federal elections — and hopes to have it in place in time for the 2019 campaign.

As the race to lead Saskatchewan New Democrats enters its final months, the two men campaigning for the position found themselves sharing common ground at a leadership debate in Moose Jaw on Saturday.

There is broad consensus among those in the political and media bubbles that the system governing federal leaders’ debates needs a face lift — but the debate about debates isn’t producing as much of a consensus about how that reboot should play out.