The economy, niqabs, and national unity are issues that came up in the French-language debate on Sep. 24, Thursday.

According to National Newswatch, only a few had forecast that Canada's relations with Saudi Arabia and that specifically a multibillion dollar contract sell armored vehicles to the latter would explode as an issue. It made the debate more interesting that night.

Like Us on Facebook

The issue of whether Canada should get involved in such a deal with Saudi Arabia that has poor human rights record carried forward on Sep. 25, Friday. Stephen Harper, the Conservative Leader, defended the $15 billion deal, which Canada helped secure in 2014 and that Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamics Land Systems will sell armored vehicles to Arab country.

Harper was asked whether he was putting Canadian jobs ahead of human rights concerns at a campaign stop in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. He expressed that their partners and allies pursue the contract, not only Canada. This means that it is the deal frankly with a country and not withstanding its violations on human rights, which are important but that this is a contract with a country that is an ally in combating against the Islamic State in Syria---a contract, according to him---that any of their allies would have signed.

Harper, according to CBC News, expressed his and his colleagues' outrage and disagreement with Saudi government for the latter's human rights violations; however, he did not think that it would make any sense to pull a deal that could only punish Canadian workers merely because of that.

The 14-year contract would benefit more than 500 local Canadian firms and would create as well as sustain more than 3,000 jobs every year in Canada, which is approximately 40 percent of the supply base by Ontario's accounting.

The contract has raised many questions about whether some of those Canadian-made vehicles could be used against Saudi's own citizen---politics aside. However, in Thursday's debate, cases of two Saudis who are imprisoned for speaking out against their country were raised. One is Ali Mohammed al-Nimr who faces beheading and crucifixion for joining in a protest during the Arab Spring in 2012 when he was merely 17 years old and the other one Raif Badawi who is sentenced to 1,000 lashes plus 10 years in prison for being a blogger who insulted Islamic values and promoted liberal thoughts.

Harper then said that the government has always denounced human rights violations but suggested that the military deal should not be sacrificed.

Tagshuman rights violations, General Dynamics Land Systems, Canadian election, Conservative Leader