On August 15, 1984, for the first time[1] there was a televised debate on women's issues among the leaders of the three major political parties during the campaign leading up to the Sept. 4 Canadian federal election.
Panelists were Eleanor Wachtel, a Vancouver freelance writer, Kay Sigurjonsson, an NAC founding member and director of the Federation of Women Teachers' Associations of Ontario, Francine Harel-Giasson, a professor at the University of Montreal business school, and Renée Rowan, columnist for Le Devoir, and the moderator of the debate was Caroline Andrew, chairman of the political science department at the University of Ottawa.
[2] The debate consisted of separate confrontations involving only two leaders at a time, therefore not all candidates were asked to address every issue.
[3] Broadbent asked Mulroney whether he would require banks to set aside specific amounts of money for loans to women for small businesses.
Prime Minister Turner had been continuing the peace initiative started by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau by writing to world leaders, among them Soviet Communist Party leader Konstantin Chernenko and United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.
Turner stated that there were two irreconcilable points of view on the abortion issue, and that while the contemporary law didn't satisfy everyone, there was no viable alternative to it.
[3][8] Chaviva Hosek, president of the NAC, said the debate was "a large step forward in political terms for women's issues".
[9] "It was a victory in the sense that two hours of prime time television talking about women's questions is really important," said Caroline Andrew, moderator of the debate.