Ontario leaders squaring off in first debate

TORONTO — The leaders of Ontario’s three main political parties will square off on the same stage for the first time Monday, just days before the official start of the province’s spring election campaign.

Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne, Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford and New Democratic Party Leader Andrea Horwath will all participate in the live debate in Toronto, which will be broadcast on City TV.

It’s the first of three debates. Many will be watching Ford closely as the new Tory leader debates two seasoned provincial politicians.

“It’s worth remembering he just got this job,” de Clercy said.

“For (Ford) it’s a test of leadership,” says Cristine de Clercy, an associate political science professor at Western University. “Does he have the gravitas, control and focus to show what he’ll do as premier?”

That means issues like Ford’s recent flip-flop on whether to allow development in a large protected green space around the Toronto region — first pledging he would, then reversing course — will take on added importance, she said. “If Mr. Ford continues to take positions that he has to very hastily back away from ... he will not look credible or trustworthy on policy. That, for him, is a big liability.”

On Saturday, the Tory leader removed Tanya Granic Allen, a social conservative and outspoken opponent of the province’s sex education curriculum, from the PC ballot in Mississauga Centre. Her dismissal came hours after the Liberals shared an edited video in which she expresses views the governing party described as representing “hatred and homophobia.”

Horwath, meanwhile, has to make an impact with voters during the debate, parlaying her high personal approval ratings into support for the NDP brand, which lags in the polls. She has led the NDP since 2009, but failed to move it beyond third-party status during her tenure so far.

“The challenge for Ms. Horwath is to communicate she is a credible alternative,” de Clercy said. “She has many virtues as a politician, but her single biggest liability is her party and its history in Ontario.”

For Wynne, whose Liberals have held power for 15 years, the focus will likely be Ford, said Nelson Wiseman, a politicalscience professor at University of Toronto.

“Wynne is going to be tearing strips off Ford,” he said, adding that the Liberal leader would likely try to associate Ford with his late brother Rob Ford, the infamous former mayor of Toronto, as well as Donald Trump.

The fiery Doug Ford, a former Toronto city councillor who has lambasted the Liberals for their spending, will have to hold up under the pressure and remain in control of his emotions, he said.

“He’s got to try not to appear wild, like his brother,” he said. “He’s already demonstrated some of that in the campaign.”