The first leaders debate of the federal election didn't have any knockout punches, but it did have Stephen Harper, for the first time, not deny Canada's economy is in recession.
The exchange happened between the Conservative leader and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
"We are one month away from a technical definition of recession, but according to a lot of observers we are already in recession," says Mulcair.
Harper responded, "Mr. Mulcair, I'm not denying that, what I am saying is that that contraction is almost exclusively in the energy sector."
To which Mulcair cut in, "At least you're not denying it."
Harper still stuck to his message of pushing voters to keep with the status quo.
"Now is not the time to throw us back into deficit and to start to spend tens of billions of dollars that we don't have paid for by taxpayers," says Harper. "That is the wrong policy."
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pressed Harper on tax fairness, an area he feels the previous Conservative government has failed.Harper paints his party as the low tax party and the other parties as high taxers #sx #ck #elxn42
— Ricardo Veneza (@RicardoVeneza) August 7, 2015
"The reality is Canadians across this country know that times are tough and the fact is you have completely become disconnected to the reality people are facing right across the country," says Trudeau.
.@JustinTrudeau begins by stressing the middle class is struggling and his Liberal Party is the one to help #sx #ck #elxn42— Ricardo Veneza (@RicardoVeneza) August 7, 2015
Mulcair slammed Harper's jobs record with a talking point the NDP leader used on his swing through Windsor.
"On Mr. Harper's watch, we've lost 400,000 well-paid manufacturing jobs," says Mulcair. "There are 200,000 more unemployed today than when the crisis hit in 2008."
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May went after the Conservative and Liberal supported anti-terror bill.Mulcair asks "Where are the jobs?" after millions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations #sx #ck #elxn42
— Ricardo Veneza (@RicardoVeneza) August 7, 2015
"This C-51 anti-terrorism act makes us less safe. It is not confronting terrorism. It is very likely to make us less able to disrupt plots while at the same time eroding our freedoms," says May, who was also lively when the debate focused on energy and the environment.
May asks Canadians to get to know the Greens. She says they're not a one issue party #sx #ck #elxn42 — Ricardo Veneza (@RicardoVeneza) August 7, 2015
Voters who tuned in learned right at the beginning of the debate from moderator Paul Wells there is still a long way to go in the 2015 federal election as election day is still two months away, set for October 19.
Maclean's Political Editor Paul Wells begins the debate by reminding you this is the longest election in modern history #sx #ck #elxn42 — Ricardo Veneza (@RicardoVeneza) August 7, 2015