I like the debate format this year. Each of the four party leaders will take on each of the other four party leaders in a one-on-one, six minute debate over a single issue, followed by a larger discussion (involving all leaders) about each issue. The big benefit I see here is that we avoid a situation like last election all opposition leaders spent the entire debate attacking one another; forcing them to debate one-another will make it much more watchable and will allow viewers to better distinguish party viewpoints. So we will get to see Harper vs. Ignatieff, but we'll also see Layton vs. Duceppe, Duceppe vs Harper, Ignatieff vs Layton, Layton vs Harper, and Ignatieff vs. Duceppe.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cana...bate-draw.html