The French-language debate was anything but an oratorical treat yesterday, confirming the fears of many Quebeckers who had braced themselves for a first-rate mangling of their mother tongue.
It pretty much went downhill as soon as Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe, the son of a legendary Quebec actor, flubbed his opening lines, pausing for a few awkward seconds as he tried to remember his speech on the Quebec consensus.
Then there was Conservative Leader Joe Clark's flawed vocabulary. In the first minute, he used the words "game," "steady" and "job," all anglicisms that are usually shunned by politicians.
Canadian Alliance Leader Stockwell Day followed with an opening statement that had obviously been learned by heart, giving away his limited French-language skills.
New Democrat Leader Alexa McDonough attacked her initial minute and a half with vigour, but the rhythm wasn't there.
Liberal Leader Jean Chrétien was pretty much left to save the day.
The problem is that he usually speaks French much like he speaks English: badly. Still, Mr. Chrétien came up with the best delivery for his opening statement.
Mr. Day and Ms. McDonough were at a disadvantage as the debate went on, as both had the most problems getting their views across.
As the four other leaders were speaking one over another, Ms. McDonough needed the help of the moderator to get a chance to speak on health care.
On a few occasions, however, Mr. Day showed that he has the ability to butt in and that he would not allow his limited vocabulary stop him from speaking.
This being Mr. Day's first national debate, he was the one with the most to prove.
He obviously can deliver lines in French, as he did when he attacked the Liberals for their health-care cuts. He emphasized that he is against two-tier health care.
"Pas de système à deux vitesses," he said on numerous occasions.
Mr. Day has always sold himself to Canadians as a bilingual politician, which allowed him to distinguish himself from his predecessor, former Reform leader Preston Manning.
He has implied that by speaking two languages, he will be able to put an end to constitutional squabbling between Quebec and the rest of Canada.
Mr. Day has given speeches and done interviews in the language, but last night was his most important appearance yet in front of a prime-time television audience in Quebec.
The unedited format of yesterday's debate meant viewers saw him live, mistakes and all.
Gilles Proulx, a popular radio host in Quebec, said he once had to cut out long portions of a phone interview with Mr. Day because they didn't make sense.
"We had to compress the interview to be able to understand what he was getting at," Mr. Proulx said.
Mr. Proulx said that during two other live interviews, Mr. Day's French frequently failed to make sense.