Main Canadian opposition leader slams PM Trudeau as a fraud in key election debate

Canada's main opposition leader repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday during a pivotal televised debate, calling him a phony and a fraud who did not deserve to be re-elected on October 21. Opinion polls show Andrew Scheer's Conservatives with a real chance of defeating the ruling Liberals, whose campaign stumbled last month after images from years ago emerged showing Trudeau in blackface. Trudeau has repeatedly apologized for the images.

The two-hour debate has traditionally been regarded as an important way of winning the minds of voters. The debate format, which grouped six party leaders on one stage, meant Trudeau could not respond directly to the remarks. Trudeau accused Scheer of trying to give tax breaks to Canada's richest people. The leaders will next face off in a French-language debate on Thursday.