Federal leaders' debate: Manitobans weigh in online

Manitobans heard from federal political party leaders in their first debate of the 2015 election campaign on Thursday night, and many took to social media to give their two cents on the arguments and issues.

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CBC Manitoba had three political supporters watching their party leaders, live-tweeting and discussing the issues throughout the Maclean's-hosted debate, which ran from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. CT.

Check out what they and other Manitobans said with our #DebateMB live blog recap below.

• ON MOBILE? Follow our live blog here.

What our live-tweeters thought

The three partisan political supporters who live-tweeted the debate from CBC Manitoba's studios agreed that there was no clear winner.

​Danielle Keenan — @DaniGirlK​ 

"I don't think there was a clear winner, but I do think that Justin Trudeau definitely showed up, had his game face on and definitely exceeded the expectations," said Keenan, who is director of political outreach for Terry Duguid, the Liberal candidate in Winnipeg South.

Keenan, 31, is currently studying public relations at the University of Winnipeg. In the past, she was president of the Manitoba chapter of the Young Liberals of Canada group, as well as president of the Manitoba chapter of the National Liberal Women's Commission.

Mohammad Almaleki — @M_Almaleki 

Almaleki, who aligns himself with the Conservative vote, gave credit to both NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper following Thursday night's debate.

"I think to Mulcair's credit he really, for better or worse, he was very consistent on his message, and so was Harper," he said.

Almaleki, 21, is an Iraqi-Canadian who works in real estate development. While he once found a connection with the Liberal party, he was disillusioned by the leadership and lacks faith in Justin Trudeau's leadership. 

Almaleki says he particularly appreciates the Conservatives' foreign policy.

Ben Wickstrom — @benwickstrom 

Ben Wickstrom, 31, is completing his law degree at the University of Manitoba. In the past, he worked as an NDP staffer in the Manitoba legislature.

"I think Justin Trudeau showed up with his pants on, to be sure, but I don't think he wowed anyone," he said. "I think Harper and [Green Party Leader Elizabeth] May did a fine job."

Political watchers were also seen following the debate at the Yellow Dog Tavern and other venues on Thursday evening.

Among those who packed the Yellow Dog was Aaron Zeighers, who concluded that debates rarely have winners — especially among those who are already decided.

"I guess people will kind of often believe what they want to believe in these kind of things, where if they support one person they are going to agree with that person and think that person is winning when other people will see it in a completely different way," he said.