At the conclusion of Tuesday night's debate, TimminsToday gathered some reactions from the organizers and audience members to gain some insight on the overall effectiveness of the discussion.
Chamber of Commerce Manager of Policy, Research and Communications Nick Stewart was pleased with the event.
“I thought it was a great exchange of ideas. Its fantastic to hear a very substantial policy discussion from all the candidates in the region, and it was a good turnout as well” said Stewart.
“Any time people are willing to leave the comfort of their home and come listen to a frank political conversation is a great thing and we certainly saw a lot of that out here tonight.”
Stewart said the 16 questions posed to the candidates on the evening were whittled down from around 30. They were submitted by Chamber members and the public.
“Some were related to provincial issues and weren't necessarily relevant to the federal conversation, but its really great to see the public engage in that level of interest in the election.”
Timmins Mayor Steve Black was in attendance and felt the debate was well run.
“The Chamber does an excellent job of asking questions that apply both locally and on the federal scene. It was good to have the opportunity to come out and listen to what the candidates have to say.”
When asked about the public turnout, Black said the audience was likely made up of decided voters.
“That's one of the challenges you have with these debates, giving the candidates the chance to get their message out. Usually most of the people that show up to the debates have already made up their mind and are there to support the candidates. I've been through it twice recently on my own.”
Black was referring to his successful mayoral campaign last fall, and his bid to represent Timmins-James Bay at Queen's Park in the 2014 Ontario provincial election. He placed third in that election and longtime MPP Gilles Bisson was re-elected.
“When you do a lot of debates throughout the term of a campaign, depending on how long the campaign is and this is a longer one, the question becomes what's the true value when you're campaigning to your audience who is already converted. Hopefully between the streaming, and the other televised debates more people are tuning in and getting to hear which candidate they align with,” said Black.
New Timmins Chamber of Commerce President Kurt Bigeau was happy with the event.
“It went really well. It was nice to hear all the different points of view on things that affect our communities. It was a really good turnout which was nice to see” he said.
Timmins resident Ted Zajac was in attendance and felt the evening was largely beneficial to the community.
“I'll be honest it was very informative. If people come out and listen to the candidates, they might change their preconceived notions of who they're going to vote for. Its interesting to see what they will do locally, I know its federal, but to see what they will do for the communities” said Zajac.
There are two more debates still to come before election day on Monday, October 19th.
