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Ontario party leaders squaring off at election debate tonight

It's set to start at 6:30 p.m.
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Ontario PC party leader Doug Ford makes a point at the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities debate at the Capitol Centre in North Bay, Ont. as Liberal leader Steven Del Duca listens in on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Gino Donato

TORONTO — The leaders of Ontario's four main political parties are set to face off at a televised debate this evening. 

Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner will all be participating. 

The four leaders squared off last week at a debate focused on issues specific to northern Ontario, an event organized by the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities.

The consortium of regional broadcasters that organized tonight's debate says the event is open to parties running candidates in "all or almost all" of the province's ridings. 

The rules ensure Del Duca's participation after the Liberals were forced to drop a handful of nominees last week and now have candidates running in 122 of 124 ridings. 

Del Duca said he hopes to make the choice between him and Ford "crystal clear" to voters watching the debate. 

"I am so excited to be in position to have a conversation directly with the people of Ontario about the Ontario Liberal plan to deliver real relief, whether it's on the affordability crisis, whether it's on any of the other key elements in education, health care, seniors care, the clean environment," Del Duca said at a campaign stop in downtown Toronto on Monday morning.

The debate will be held at TVO in midtown Toronto, will air on multiple television channels across the province and is set to get underway at 6:30 p.m.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2022.

The Canadian Press