I’m listening to the Canadian election debate right now. It’s just getting started, and it’s Live from Vancouver. Gilles Duceppe, Paul Martin, Jack Layton and Stephen Harper so far have wavered back and forth between promoting themselves, and bashing on the Liberals.

Traditionally there has been one English and one French debate in each campaign. This time leaders will debate twice in each official language. Also, the first two debates, on Dec. 15 and 16, will take place from Vancouver, marking the first time the events have been hosted in western Canada. A second pair of debates will take place after the holiday break, on Jan. 9 and 10, 2006.

The more visible � or should that be audible � change comes in how the leaders will interact with each other. This time, when one leader is taking his designated turn to speak, the microphones of the other three leaders will be turned off. Scott Feschuk, a speechwriter for Liberal Leader Paul Martin, summed it up this way: “The new debate rules will eliminate the lengthy free-for-alls from last time around, during which all four leaders talked and snarled over each other incessantly, prompting Canadians from coast to coast to remark: ‘Hey, the debates are on - why are we watching Wild Kingdom?’”

Is anyone else from Vancouver listening? What do you think?