Party leaders in Montreal ahead of this week’s election debates

OTTAWA — Federal party leaders are campaigning in the Montreal area ahead of the two election debates that will take place Wednesday and Thursday.

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It will be the first time Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre square off in a debate.

This morning, Carney is scheduled to make an announcement and hold a press conference in Saint-Eustache, Que., near Montreal, while Poilievre will hold a press conference in Montreal.

Carney’s personal popularity has risen over the course of the campaign, with a new poll from Abacus Data finding his favourability ratings among Canadians are higher than Poilievre’s.

The poll, which was conducted online and so can’t be assigned a margin of error, found Carney has a favourable rating of 48 per cent positive and 28 per cent negative, compared to Poilievre’s 40 per cent positive and 45 per cent negative.

But Carney is also a political newcomer, and his French-language skills will be under the microscope in Wednesday’s French-language debate.

This is the third election for NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who is also scheduled to make a morning announcement in Montreal.

Federal officials warned Monday that Canadians should be on the lookout for online disinformation tied to the debates.

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