It seems the last questions at the varying political events during the campaign are bringing out some of the most interesting answers.

It was one of the last questions put to Harper that brought out his thoughtful reply about how and why he thinks Canadians are becoming more conservative. And then, again, there was a last question to Harper about what kind of vegetable he would choose to be.

Well, it happened again today.

This time it wasn’t at one of the leaders’ daily "message," "process" or "repositioning" events. It was in a regular classroom at the University of British Columbia where masters of journalism students gathered to participate in a candidate debate for the tight, four-way contest that is Vancouver Centre. And it caused a bit of a stir.

There were important questions about Insite, the Green Shift and even trade with Colombia. But when 23-year-old Amanda Ash was given the last question she asked: If you were an animal what kind of animal would you be?

Liberal Hedy Fry said she would be a lion. Conservative Lorne Mayencourt said he would be a golden lab because they are gentle dogs. “They go out and do what they can to help and this is what I have been trying to do with my life.”

The politicians were getting personal. The Green Party’s Adrian Carr got rather into it, too, answering that her First Nations friends say she is a raven because she loves to talk and because “there is a leadership quality among ravens.” But then added that really, she thinks, she is a wild salmon. “I fear for their survival but I love their spirit,” she said.

Then it happened. Perhaps the most personal and problematic revelation came from the NDP’s great hope, Michael Byers. He said he would be a polar bear. He began by explaining the bear was a symbol of “this great northern country” and went on to add that when he saw a polar bear two years ago along the Northwest Passage he had a “poignant moment of realization.” It occurred to him that his two sons might never see a polar bear in the wild. His animal choice seemed to crank up his personal conviction as he linked it to the climate change crisis. And, then, out he blurted what Amanda’s classmate, Brent Wittmeier, immediately dubbed the "Byers Bomb": “We need to go after the big polluters. We need to shut the tar sands down.”

Not quite in line with his party’s take on the tar sands. And, another revealing last question.

Of course, what ensued was much in the way of clarification.

— Sylvia Thomson