If the polls are right and things don’t change in the next two weeks, Gilles Duceppe could well find himself in the odd position of being the most popular guy in Ottawa (at least in the minds of Paul Martin and Stephen Harper). It is likely that Duceppe’s Bloc Québecois will be the only party that could guarantee stability in the House of Commons. [I am sure the irony that the government’s stability will be in the hands of a separatist party is not lost on anyone.] Duceppe needs to convince Canadians outside of Québec that he isn’t a scary guy and that he has some ideas to (perish the thought) make Canada a better place. His recent strategy of saying that he’d defeat a Tory government for this, that, and the other thing may do little more than make him look like that uncooperative child who hogs all the toys and it plays in to the impression many Canadians have of the Nationalist movement in his province. In short, Mr. Duceppe needs to look like a leader all Canadians can trust.

This past week hasn’t been stellar for Stephen Harper and his Conservatives. They continue to be dogged by the foolishly provocative comments of some of his candidates. To make matters worse, Mr. Harper’s handlers began keeping him away from the media, giving him less chance to address the concerns that have been raised about potential extremism in his party. The debate is an opportunity to take the bull by the horns and wrestle these issues to the ground. The Liberals want Harper to appear scary, so he must appear sympathetic. Most importantly, he cannot make a mistake. So for Mr. Harper: Come across as competent, reasonable and moderate.