It was the battle of the journalists as the frontrunners identified in a recent poll in the fight for Toronto Centre took part in an all-candidates debate Wednesday night.
The event, moderated by John Tory, allowed the four candidates running in the federal byelection an opportunity to address and trade barbs on a number of topics, including the Canadian Pension Plan, approaches to spending and taxation in the wake of the economic crisis, crime and the Downtown Relief Line.
“I’m delighted to see there’s so much interest in the byelection,” Tory told the crowd of roughly 400-500 people in attendance prior to the start of the debate.
Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland, a former editor at Thomson Reuters, is facing off against the NDP’s Linda McQuaig, a Toronto Star columnist.
The new Forum Research poll shows Freeland carrying a lead in the race with 47 per cent support, versus 32 per cent for McQuaig.
Conservative Geoff Pollock sits at 16 per cent support, with Green candidate John Deverell at four per cent.
“The leaders in all the (four byelection) races appear to be solidifying their positions, and the challengers appear to falling back slightly,” Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff said of the recent poll.
“Our results in these byelections have been very consistent, so I don’t think we’re looking at any surprises,” he added.
The poll, based on an interactive voice response telephone survey, contacted 832 randomly selected voters in the riding on Nov. 14.
The results are considered accurate plus or minus three per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Voters in Toronto Centre, as well as Montreal’s Bourassa riding, and Manitoba’s Brandon-Souris and Provencher ridings, cast their ballots Nov. 25.
