(Photo from Canadian Press)

By Hayley Ferguson

Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner

Local political scientist responds to leaders’ debate

Oct 8, 2019 | 5:15 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – While the debate may have helped some undecided voters across the county, that doesn’t seem to be the case here in Medicine Hat.

Jim Groom, a political science instructor with the Medicine Hat College, says that there wasn’t much any of the six leaders could do to change voters’ minds in southeast Alberta.

“The Conservatives for the last umpteen years have won here. And the last two elections almost by 70 per cent each time. And the anti-Trudeau sentiment is pretty palpable here, it’s pretty noticeable. And there is no way that they are going to elect a Liberal candidate,” Groom said.

After the debate, social media from across the country seemed to agree that there wasn’t a clear winner from the six leaders.

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Which Groom also agreed with.

“There were no knockout blows,” he said. “It was pretty much back and forth, back and forth.”

According to Groom, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer may have started going after Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau a little too early.

“Starting off with your first question with saying ‘Trudeau you’re a fraud, you’re a liar.’ Those are fighting words. And all a sudden it raised the temperature in the room before it was really ready to get to that stage, I think,” Groom

Groom wasn’t impressed with Trudeau saying that for most of the night he looked unpolished.

He also wasn’t impressed with the lack of debate over the economy. Which he says is the most important topic here in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner.

“Keeping the economy going, of course, is a huge aspect. I was just talking to a former student who has no prospects for a career now unless she goes back to school and does a few more things,” he said. “I think that’s one of the biggest issues here is what do we do for the future.”

Voters will be able to see the leaders debate for the final time on Thursday, October 10th.

The debate will be in French.