From: brewnoserii@gmail.com   
      
   These types of interviews by Peter Mansbridge have always had a much more   
   revealing aspect than the public debates where the candidates trip over each   
   other to best each other.  Tape them if you want to go back to check what they   
   had to say . . .   
      
   Tonight Mansbridge interviews the (current) PM, Stephen Harper - CBC, 9pm ET;     
   6 pm on The National in BC. . . .   
      
   Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, NDP Party Leader Tom Mulcair   
   on Wednesday, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May on Friday.   
   ____________________________________________   
   By Peter Mansbridge CBC News Posted: Sep 07, 2015   
      
   Behind CBC The National's interviews with Canada's federal leaders   
      
   CBC News Chief Correspondent Peter Mansbridge sits down for 1-on-1 interviews   
   with the 4 leaders   
      
      
   This is my 14th federal election (no, the first wasn't Sir John A!) and I   
   wanted to try something different.  Why this time?  Well, I was tired of   
   hearing many Canadians describe the party leaders as "all the same," because   
   they're not.  They stand for    
   different things and have conflicting positions on key issues.   
      
   In a very tight three-way race, the first in modern Canadian history, the   
   difference between the three main leaders must be highlighted, must be   
   explored, so that Canadians can make an informed choice.   
      
   "The Interviews" is designed to show that.   
      
   The premise is simple; the execution a challenge.  We requested the same thing   
   from each of the parties: a full 30 minutes with their leaders, uninterrupted   
   in a venue of their choice, but away from the campaign trail, away from the   
   rallies and the    
   whistle stops and the media buses.  All sessions would be completed before any   
   was aired, ensuring that no leader would have the advantage of knowing the   
   others' answers.   
      
   The interviews would be wide-ranging.  No topic was off limits, and, as with   
   every one we do, no questions were provided beforehand. I think that should be   
   obvious but I find that a disturbing number of people, especially on social   
   media, seem to think    
   media organizations regularly do that.  Well, we don't.   
      
   The goal is to help Canadians understand who these party leaders are and what   
   they stand for, away from their well-honed "message track" as much as possible   
   -- and trust me that is awfully hard to achieve -- away from their spin and   
   away from their    
   regular campaign speeches.   
      
   Each party finally agreed to our proposal just last week and that got producer   
   Lara Chatterjee scrambling to pull it all off right away before anyone changed   
   their mind.   
   3 cities, 4 days   
      
   Logistically it took us across the country, three cities in four days -- from   
   a park in Gatineau, Que. across from Parliament Hill, to a quiet ranch house   
   in Delta, B.C., to the Laurentians outside Montreal and the tiny town of   
   Ste.-Anne-Des-Lacs.   
      
   The Elizabeth May interview, because of Green Party scheduling issues, won't   
   be done until later this week and will air on Friday night.   
      
   In the end, we hope the result shows some stark differences between these   
   parties and their leaders.  We hope to reveal some of what each of these   
   people stand for, what their vision is for this country and what Canadians   
   should expect from each of them    
   right from day one if they form a government.   
      
   There is a gamble in such a program idea -- news can break in the middle of   
   this process.   It did last week with the migrant story, poignantly   
   highlighted by the photo of a three-year-old Syrian boy dead on a beach.   
      
   The Trudeau interview was done last Tuesday, the Harper session on Thursday   
   and the Mulcair sit-down was on Friday.  The latest development in the migrant   
   story didn't really take off until Thursday and there were continuing updates   
   for days afterwards.     
    However, as it turned out, all three leaders mention the issue but, because   
   of the time differences, there were varying degrees of urgency to their   
   remarks.   
      
   We know, when we attempt interviews like this, that we open ourselves up to   
   criticism, no matter what we do.  We're in, as polls seems to indicate, a   
   fierce three-way race and, in a politically charged atmosphere, the stakes are   
   high.   
      
   But believe me, after years of those conflicting assessments, we're used to   
   them. While we always listen to constructive criticism, we don't spend a lot   
   of time worrying about partisan remarks.   
      
   We hope that what we'll do over the next week is help Canadians make an   
   informed choice, and provide them with the information that they need to do   
   that. That's part of our job.  We're the public broadcaster, and we hope we're   
   fulfilling our mandate and    
   providing a major public service for Canadians by finding a vehicle to give   
   viewers, listeners and readers a clear view of the differences between those   
   who want to lead the country beginning Oct. 20.   
   _____________________________________________________   
      
   Thanks, Peter Mansbridge . . .  you're the best interviewer in the country and   
   these will likely be more revealing than any other conversations before the   
   election - (barring more scandals ;-}   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)