It's been 31 years since Canada's had a federal debate on the issues women face. This year, it looked like that was all about to change.
Until Conservative Leader Stephen Harper declined to participate, and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair then backed out of participating.
But the Up For Debate event on women's issues still took place Monday night, albeit with a change in formula. Instead of having party leaders debate live, audience members watched pre-recorded segments with Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, Bloc Québecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, Mulcair and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.
Two panels of experts commented live on what the candidates had to say. Among them was HuffPost Canada's Althia Raj, who says despite the conversation on topics like misogyny, the role of niqab in Canada, and an inquiry on missing and murdered indigenous women, there were still topics that were relatively overlooked.
To see what didn't make it to the forefront, check out the video above.
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