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TORONTO — Stephen Harper’s spokesperson is ripping into Justin Trudeau ahead of Thursday’s highly anticipated leaders’ debate.

Kory Teneycke says expectations for Trudeau have “probably never been lower for a leader going to a debate.”

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“I think that if he comes on stage with his pants on, he will probably exceed expectations,” Teneycke said in an interview Tuesday during a campaign stop in Toronto.

Trudeau has likely spent hours memorizing “a lot of attacks” and rehearsing “pithy responses,” but there’s a big difference between that and understanding how to manage an economy, he said.

“At the end of the day, this isn’t a debate just for the sake of a debate. It is to pick somebody who is capable of managing that $1.9-trillion economy,” Teneycke said.

“There’s only one candidate on the stage with a proven track record with respect to managing our economy, and that’s Stephen Harper.”

In a statement, Trudeau’s spokesperson Kate Purchase did not address Teneycke’s comments directly.