Hours before the only televised leaders' debate of the BC campaign, Michael Gardiner and Azim Jiwani were joined on Day 23 of the BC War Room by Taleeb Noormohamed, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville and Parliamentary Secretary for Artificial Intelligence, to size up what each leader needs and what the result could mean for relations with Ottawa.
Noormohamed argued Lorne Doerkson is no longer the underdog, and that Eby has himself to thank for that. Tonight, he said, Doerkson has to introduce himself, answer tough questions about some people around him and show a credible plan beyond undoing NDP policy. Eby's task is to be likeable, explain why he called the election and lean hard on his partnership with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
On federal-provincial relations, Noormohamed said Ottawa will work with whoever wins, but praised Eby as a reliable partner on mining, transmission, and LNG approvals. Jiwani pushed back, arguing Doerkson's proposed BC investment summit borrows from Carney's playbook and that a Conservative government would be a more willing partner on getting resources to tidewater.
The sharpest policy clash came over DRIPA. Jiwani said businesses tell him uncertainty is driving investment elsewhere. Noormohamed challenged anyone to name a major project stopped by the legislation and credited it for approvals that won Indigenous support. Gardiner landed in between, saying a few tweaks may be needed but that many constraints flow from court rulings on rights and title
that no provincial law can change.
The hosts also took on reports that the premier's family used a $10-a-day childcare spot. Noormohamed called it a bad look, not because Eby used the program, but because it highlights how many families still can't get access. He argued the bigger question is whether voters trust a party that has struggled to deliver the program or one that would scrap it.
The episode also featured a spirited exchange between Jiwani and Noormohamed on how political leaders should respond when faith communities are targeted, before the two, both from BC's Ismaili community, agreed to settle things over a plate of kuku paka.
The consensus heading into tonight: debates matter, but knockout punches are rare.
Stay tuned to the BC War Room with new episodes dropping every weekday morning until election day.
Click HERE to watch on YouTube, or, if audio is more your style, click HERE to listen on Spotify, and HERE for Apple Podcasts.
