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Where to watch tonight’s leaders debate (and all your other questions, too)

Everything you need to know about the where, when and how of tonight’s five-leader face-off

The five leading party leaders will face off on a debate stage twice this week, on back-to-back nights. After the French-language debate on Sept. 8 is the English debate on Thursday, Sept. 9. For all the details of how the evening will work and how you can watch, we have you covered.

Where and when?

The verbal fisticuffs take place at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que. from 9 to 11 p.m. EDT

How can I watch or listen?

The world is your news-consumption oyster: virtually every news network and website will be streaming the debate, with multiple language options available. A full rundown of the channels and platforms is here.

WATCH ON MACLEAN’S: Federal election leaders’ debate 2021: Live video

Who’s going?

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, Conservative Party of Canada Leader Erin O’Toole, Green Party of Canada Leader Annamie Paul,  Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau and New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh.

Leaders’ Debates Commissioner David Johnston (you may remember him from such previous roles as governor general) determined that to be included, a leader’s party must meet one of the following criteria: on the date the election is called, the party must have one MP in the House of Commons who was elected under that party’s banner; or the party must have received at least four per cent of the popular vote in the previous federal election; or, five days after the election is called, the party must hold at least four per cent national support, as determined by an average of the horse race results from leading polling organizations.

That leaves out, for example, People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier.

Who’s moderating?

Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, will moderate, with questions from Rosemary Barton of CBC News, Melissa Ridgen from APTN News, Evan Solomon of CTV News and Mercedes Stephenson from Global News.

What’s on the agenda?

The debate will revolve around five themes based in part on 20,000 questionnaire responses from the public: affordability, climate, COVID-19 recovery, leadership and accountability and reconciliation. The debate will include five segments, each focused on one of these themes, with a voter question, question from a moderator to each leader, three-way leader-to-leader debate and a free-for-all debate segment in each.

What if I’m feeling nostalgic or want to study up?

You can watch key clips or the 2019 Leaders’ Commission debates in their entirety here. You can watch the 2019 Maclean’s/Citytv National Leaders Debate here and the 2015 Maclean’s debate here.

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