OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Stephen Harper took a battering Thursday on the economy and the environment as Canada’s political leaders squared off Thursday in their first debate of the election campaign.

“Quite frankly, Canadians are tired of that kind of leadership. You haven’t been able to get it done on the environment, Mr. Harper and you haven’t got it done on the economy,” Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said during the debate, held in Toronto.

With the election barely out of the starting blocks, Harper and Trudeau were joined by NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May for their first face-to-face confrontation in a debate hosted by Maclean’s magazine.

With worries growing about the strength of the Canadian economy, all the leaders sought to demonstrate their credentials on the issue and convince voters that their plan was best for the country.

Under Harper’s watch, 400,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost and replaced by “precarious” part-time jobs, charged Mulcair.

“Mr. Harper’s plan simply isn’t working,” Mulcair said. “Honestly, Mr. Harper, we really can’t afford another four years of you.”

Harper’s opponents said the Conservative government had run seven consecutive budget deficits, was on track for another deficit in 2015, and is veering toward a recession.

“Statistics from the Canadian government have shown that for five months in a row, the Canadian economy has shrunk,” Mulcair said. “We are one month away from a technical definition of recession, but according to a lot of observers, we are already in a recession.”

“Mr. Mulcair, I am not denying that,” Harper replied “What I am saying —

Mulcair interrupted, noting: “You are not denying we are in a recession. That’s good.”

But Harper responded that the economic slowdown is concentrated in the energy sector and the rest of the economy is growing.

Harper’s opponents also noted the government had pushed up the national debt by $150 billion and that, despite tax cuts, business investment is below expectations.

“Mr. Harper, we want to spend our time concentrating on creating jobs for Canadians,” Mulcair said. “What we’re seeing here tonight is that you’re going to do everything you can to hang onto your job. I’m going to do everything I can to create jobs for average Canadians.”

Harper replied that Canada has had good job-creation and economic growth despite the weak state of the global economy.

He said the other parties would raise taxes and compile large budget deficits, with the result that Canada would end up facing the kind of economic malaise seen in Greece.

“The way you deal with this is by sticking with a . . . low-tax, proven plan that is working rather than go out with a plan that is high taxes and high debt and high deficits,” Harper said.

Trudeau, who came into the debate painted by the Conservatives as a lightweight, appeared to hold his own in two hours of tough exchanges with Mulcair and Harper.

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The Liberal leader said the Conservatives’ economic plan favoured the rich at the expense of average Canadians who were seeing their incomes stagnate and debts swell.

“Fact is, you have completely become disconnected from the reality that people are facing right across the country. Your plan isn’t working,” Trudeau told Harper.

He said that Canada is becoming “less fair” and that voters were looking for change in the upcoming election.

In the debate moderated by Paul Wells, the magazine’s political editor, the leaders tangled on Conservatives’ environment record.

May said Harper’s record on tackling climate change is a “litany of broken promises . . . . There’s no credibility.”

“The cold, cruel reality is that under your watch, greenhouse gases have been rising, carbon pollution has been rising. As soon as our economy began to recover in 2009 — straight up line. Straight up,” May said.

But Harper defended the Conservative record: “Well, greenhouse gas emissions have actually gone down and the economy has actually grown. Those are the facts.”

Mulcair also faced criticism from both Trudeau and Harper for the NDP position that a vote of 50 per cent plus one in a referendum on sovereignty would be enough for Quebec to begin secession talks with the federal government.

Unlike Trudeau, who has been attacking Mulcair specifically for not defending the Clarity Act, Harper went after Mulcair for talking about the issue at all.

“I’m not going to question Mr. Mulcair’s position as a long-time federalist. That is clear. What I think I do question, along with Mr. Trudeau, is: why bring up a debate on the Clarity Act other than to satisfy the separatist elements within the NDP in Quebec?” said Harper, who had also pushed for a 50-per-cent-plus-one margin when he was national unity critic for the Reform Party during the 1995 referendum.

On the issue of the Senate, both Mulcair and Trudeau criticized Harper for vowing never to appoint senators and then later appointing 59, several of whom now face allegations of misspending.

The Conservative leader responded that he had done so to enable the passage of government legislation. Asked if he apologize for appointing these troublesome senators, Harper said, “I certainly did not name all of the senators that are in trouble.”

Files from Alex Boutilier

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