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6:30 a.m.

A little over three weeks after hitting the campaign trail, the leaders of the five major parties will converge on a Montreal soundstage for the opening round of two high-stakes debates, with the first faceoff set to take place entirely en français, two hours earlier than expected after a last-minute scheduling change to “minimize a conflict with a Montreal Canadiens hockey game,” as Canadian Press reports. (6 p.m.)

As per the programming note sent out earlier this week, the two-hour session — which will be broadcast live and ad-free, and is expected to air on virtually every Canadian network —  will be moderated by Radio-Canada news anchor Patrice Roy, with an “emphasis on open debate” on “five main editorial themes” — namely, “(the) cost of living, energy and climate, trade war, identity and sovereignty and immigration and foreign affairs,” although not necessarily in that order.

According to their respective offices, New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet are planning to stay off the radar until they hit the stage tonight, while Liberal leader Mark Carney is booked in for a midday visit to a “local small business,” but will not be taking questions from the press ahead of the traditional post-debate scrums.

For his part, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will hold his regularly scheduled morning “message event.” (8:30 a.m.)

Rounding out the lineup, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault will start the day with a mid-morning media availability at his campaign office in Outremont, Que., where, as per the advisory, the party will “unveil its election platform,” which “outlines bold policy on climate action, reform to the tax system, defence policy.”