Not calling you a liar but I am curious about this, as I don't remember that at all.
It was the election against Joe Clark. Clark had beat him and was the minority PM. Trudeau was actually getting set to exist stage left, having resigned as Liberal leader, but only months into Clark's tenure his government, through a series of political errors, had become very unpopular. The Liberals, NDP and SC scented blood and pushed him into another election due to the famous gas tax. The Liberals ran a campaign which basically said the gas tax would end civilization as we knew it, and kept Trudeau - still highly unpopular - out of sight as much as possible, refusing to debate Clark, and suggesting that as soon as the Liberals got elected he would give way to a successor. Showing his cynicism he stayed for four more years, and he almost immediately implemented the gas tax - only a bigger gas tax than the Tories had planned. As for the SC, the Torys' erstwhile minority partners, who voted against them and precipitated the election, they were wiped out, to never rise again.
If you check the CBC site which shows election debates going back as far as they have a record, you'll note there is one in 1979 and two in 1984, but nothing for the 1980 election.
http://www.cbc.ca/archives/topic/leaders-debates-1968-2011
Home
Contact
Login
Register