Analysis: Leaders served voters a proverbial bowl of bran during CBC debate

Leaders' debates are the bran of any election campaign. They are good for the democratic process, but are mostly bland and like all roughage, can sometimes lead to unexpected and messy results.

Wednesday's debate did provide voters in Nova Scotia with something to chew on between now and election day on Aug. 17.

Lori Turnbull, director of Dalhousie University's school ofpublic administration, summed up the 90-minute exchange succinctly.

"I thoughteverybody showed up and did exactly what you'd expect them to do," said Turnbull, who watched the debate twice during a business trip to Ottawa.

"There was no knockout punch. There was no moment that anyone's going to take away and remember. There was no major mistake.

"It was people exchanging talking points and statistics on important policy issues."

In short, it was bran or maybe its heartier cousin,Raisin Bran, if you count the more spirited exchanges between PC Leader Tim Houston and Liberal Leader Iain Rankin over health care, or between NDP Leader Gary Burrill and Rankin over whether the Liberal leader is a true green environmentalist.

"Pretty close debate in terms of all three getting their messages across," said political analyst Eric Grenier, author of TheWrit.ca.

"No one really stumbled all that much."

Out of the three leaders, Grenier said Rankin "might have been a bit of the weakest."

"I think if anybody should be happy from their performance in debate, it should be Houston, but I don't think that either Rankin or Burrill should be concerned about their performance," he said.

"I think Burrill probably shored up that NDP voteand the question will be whether they can make any gains.

"And for Rankin, he has a bit of a cushion over the PCs and Houston. I don't suspect that the performance itself alone would put that cushion in danger."

Turnbull agreed thatpartisans were likely satisfied with what the leaders served up.

"Somebody who watched the debate as a decided voter would think, 'My leader won,'" said Turnbull.

"Somebody who watched it as an undecided voter may have picked up some information that would help them with their choice."

Nova Scotia leaders face off in CBC debate

3 years ago

Duration 1:28:06

Leaders from Nova Scotias Liberal, NDP and Progressive Conservative parties took part in a 90-minute debate to discuss important issues affecting Nova Scotians.

On rent control, for example, Burrill is the only one of the three who supports it and will keep it in place once the state of emergency put in effect because of the pandemicis lifted. Rankin said the measure has beenuseful during the pandemic, but it's not here to stay. Houston saidit didn't work.

Onhealth care, Rankin believes his rivals are simply throwing money at the problemand that will not solve what ails the system. Both opposition parties have pledged to spend hundreds ofmillions of dollars more to bolster services or create new ones.

On eliminating the deficit, Rankin has pledged to do it by the end of a new, four-year mandate, while the PCs have promised to return to balance over six years. The NDPclaimsother provinces who have pledged to do it within six to eightyears are being more realistic.

While the PCs have provided voters with a complete menu when it comes to a fully costed platform, Nova Scotianshave been offered only appetizers from the Liberals and NDP.

Both parties promise to release detailed and fully costed platforms by the end of the campaign.