On Thursday, Sept. 12, Maclean's and Citytv are hosting the first leaders debate of the election calendar, moderated by Paul Wells

Maclean’s and Citytv are hosting the first National Leaders Debate of the 2019 election calendar, to take place on Thursday, Sept. 12 starting at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT).

The two-hour debate in English will centre on four major themes: the economy, foreign policy, Indigenous issues and, lastly, energy and the environment. After the main segment of exchanges, each leader will have 90 seconds for a closing statement.

The event will take place in Toronto while airing live on Citytv, Macleans.ca, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, as well as on Rogers news radio stations and their websites and CityNews websites. CPAC will carry the debate with a French translation, while OMNI Television will carry it with interpretation into Mandarin and Cantonese (in broadcast) and Punjabi (online).

“We are continuing our tradition of early debates after the 2015 federal leaders’ debate ignited a cross-country conversation and set the agenda for election day,” says Maclean’s editor-in-chief Alison Uncles. “We are looking forward to a civil, spirited discussion of ideas, moderated by the extraordinary Paul Wells.”

The leaders of the Conservative Party, the Green Party and the NDP have confirmed their attendance. The Liberals have not yet confirmed Justin Trudeau’s participation but an invitation remains open and the debate will go forward regardless.

“I have interviewed all four of the party leaders we’ve invited, one-on-one, for the Maclean’s In Conversation series in the last year and a half,” says Wells. “I’m looking forward to welcoming them again at our debate. If three show up, that’s enough. If four do, so much the better.”

Citytv and Maclean’s will have post-debate coverage, including analysis and viewer reaction.

Add the debate to your calendar now—and tune in on Sept. 12.

Where to watch the federal leaders debate

Watch and engage during the Maclean’s / Citytv National Leaders Debate 2019 on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. EDT. Make sure to bookmark macleans.ca/debate, where you’ll be able to live-stream our debate and keep up with our live analysis. Here’s how to watch:

WATCH ON TV:

The debate begins at 8pm EDT. We’re broadcasting in multiple languages. In English, on City. In English and French, on CPAC. In Mandarin and Cantonese on OMNI Television (broadcast) and Punjabi (online).

WATCH ONLINE:

We’ll be live streaming at Macleans.ca/debate, on the Maclean’s Facebook page and the Maclean’s YouTube channel, as well as on OMNITV.ca in Punjabi. You can also join the social discussion using the #firstdebate hashtag.

MISSED IT? WATCH THE REPLAY:

We’ll be hosting a full video replay of the debate on macleans.ca, as well as on the Maclean’sYouTube channel.

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