Ottawa

Idea alert

Martin Goldfarb says the next election should include a televised debate between the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition.

The public wants to see Stephen Harper face off against Michael Ignatieff. The public needs this opportunity because it’s only through such a discussion that Canadians can discover the leaders’ inner reality. In our democracy, we need to give the key contenders the opportunity to position themselves, to define what they want you to think of them and the party they represent. What Mr. Harper and Mr. Ignatieff say in the debate is reality TV. The whole country will be watching.

In 2008, before an election was called, Stephane Dion challenged Mr. Harper to a debate on the environment, but the offer was declined.

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