'My French is not perfect': Five key moments from the first NDP leadership debate in Montreal

MONTREAL — The five contenders to lead the NDP took to the stage on Thursday night in Montreal for the first of two official leadership debate.

While more love-in than battle royale, the 90-minute debate still had its share of memorable moments. Here are some of the evening’s biggest takeaways:

Filmmaker Avi Lewis was by far the most comfortable candidate on the stage in French, giving detailed, fluid responses in the language and bantering gamely with francophone media in a post-debate scrum.

Edmonton MP Heather McPherson held her own in French portions of the debate, despite the occasional stilted response and anglicism — for instance, taking a shot at Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for “attaquer les trans kids” in recent legislation.

The other three candidates, who all chose to wear earpieces for simultaneous translation, lagged well behind.

“You’ve heard (this evening) that my French is not perfect,” acknowledged B.C.-based union leader Rob Ashton in the French portion of his closing debate.

Vancouver Island city councillor Tanille Johnston just shook her head and gave a flabbergasted look when asked after the debate to say, in French, how she thought she did.

Lewis’s performance wasn’t without its wrinkes. During a segment on reconciliation with Canada’s First Nations, he bizzarely tied the Carney government’s major projects push to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

“All of this talk of nation-building projects that has consumed the oxygen of our political conversation … They’re big, manly things with huge work camps entailed in remote areas. The impacts on Indigenous women and girls are intense, are horrifying,” said Lewis.

Lewis was also at the centre of the closest thing the debate gave us to a confrontation, impatiently interjecting during organic farmer Tony McQuail’s long-winded response on how to rebuild the party.

“Tony, we only got eight minutes!” Lewis chided.

McQuail was flustered but undeterred by the interruption.

“Yea, but you’ve got seven more and there are only four more of you … so let me make my point!” he shot back.

Whoever ends up leader, it’s clear they’ll be a departure from Jagmeet Singh’s rolex and bespoke suits. A few candidates tried to coney their regularness with debate-night fashion choices.

Ashton boasted that he was wearing work boots onstage while taking a shot at “cosplay(ing)” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. McQuail, for his part, donned his now trademark straw hat.

The contenders couldn’t call it a night without trying to score a few brownie points from host city Montreal, a pandering session moderator Karl Belanger teed up perfectly by asking each of them to name their favourite place in Canada.

“C’mon, le Montreal!” said McPherson on cue.

“Alright, so we’re trying to speak to Montrealers?” joked Avi Lewis, who named Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal as his top three cities.

“It’s gonna be Montreal!” drawled Ashton in his best Quebec accent.

Not all candidates were so shameless. Johnston said Tofino, B.C., a noted vacation spot for ex-Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau, was her favourite getaway.

The next NDP leadership debate will take place in the Vancouver area in February.

National Post rmohamed@postmedia.com

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