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U.K. Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage and author Mark Steyn debate former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and historian Simon Schama on how developed nations should deal with the global refugee crisis. Rudyard Griffiths moderated the semi-annual Munk Debate at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.

CBC’s The National nightly news program takes us through the highlights from the Canadian federal elections. Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau won a majority government defeating Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party. This 30-minute portion is courtesy of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The Munk Debate hosted a special election on foreign policy with the three major political parties in Canada. Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper, New Democratic Party Leader Thomas Mulcair, and Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau debated over the future of Canada-U.S. relations, Keystone XL pipeline, the Syrian refugee crisis and relations with Russia. The leaders spoke both in French and English as is customary in Canada.

*Due to some technical issues, some portions of this event do not include English translation.

The leaders of Canada’s four major political parties participated in the first debate ahead of the October 19, 2015, federal election for the Canadian House of Commons. The debate topics of the economy, energy and the environment, the state of Canada’s democracy, and Canada’s foreign policy were introduced by videos. Between each topic reactions from pollsters and analysts were shown. Other topics covered in the debate were U.S.-Canada relations, particularly regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline, and the U.S.-led effort to defeat ISIL.*

The debate was held by Maclean’s magazine in City TV Studios in Toronto.
Courtesy of Canada’s Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC).

*The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), or DAISH/DAESH in Arabic is a militant group that has called itself the Islamic State..

Panelists debated the West’s relationship with President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Vladimir Pozner and Stephen Cohen argued for the resolution, “Be it resolved the West should engage not isolate Russia.” Garry Kasparov and Anne Applebaum argued against. The fifteenth semi-annual Munk Debate was held at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada.

Panelists debated the effectiveness of President Obama’s foreign policy strategy. Motion: “Be it resolved Obama’s foreign policy is emboldening our enemies and making the world a more dangerous place.”

Panelists debated the topic of government surveillance. Former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden and criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz argued in favor of the resolution, “State Surveillance: Be it resolved state surveillance is a legitimate defence of our freedoms.” Journalist Glenn Greenwald and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian argued against. The thirteenth semi-annual Munk Debate was held at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada. A clip of a video statement made for the debate by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden was shown.

Former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman debated former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Reagan economic adviser Arthur Laffer on the subject of raising taxes on the wealthy.

Panelists debated how the world should respond to Iran’s nuclear program. Topics included the U.S. and Israeli positions in the Middle East, the consequences of launching a war against Iran, and Iran’s influence in the region. After opening statements the panelists cross-examined each other. The audience in the hall voted on the question before and after the debate.
Amos Yadlin and Charles Krauthammer argued in favor of the question, Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions: Be It Resolved the World Cannot Tolerate an Iran with Nuclear Weapons Capability. Fareed Zakaria and Vali Nasr argued against. The tenth semi-annual Munk Debate was held at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. The program opened with a video montage of past debates. Henry Kissinger and George Mitchell participated by video messages recorded the previous week.

Goldman Sachs Chair and CEO Lloyd Blankfein spoke to members at the Canadian Club of Toronto about the European debt crisis, the U.S. political system and the challenges facing the global economy. He said that the U.S. cannot “austere” itself into a higher gross domestic product and added that he was not a “socialist” but said one of the goals should be to “expand the wealth of the world and distribute it fairly.”