Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford entered Monday night’s leaders’ debate with a clear strategy—protect his lead. He largely avoided confrontation, sticking to his message of safeguarding Ontario from tariffs while sidestepping key policy discussions. His approach extended beyond the debate, as he once again skipped the post-debate media Q&A, just as he did after the recent northern debate.
Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie took a more aggressive stance, launching direct attacks on Ford’s credibility and upbringing. “After seven years of lies, why should anyone trust a word you say?” she challenged. Near the end of the debate, she escalated her criticism, accusing Ford of being out of touch with working-class struggles. “You don’t get the plight of real people because you were raised privileged, with a silver spoon in your mouth,” she said.
Ford, who has long built his political brand on being a leader “for the people,” largely shrugged off these attacks. His campaign team has consistently dismissed critiques from the opposition as out of touch with his core supporters.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles also took aim at Ford, focusing on education funding. “Parents with kids in our schools right now, they know that’s not true. The class sizes are huge,” she argued, disputing Ford’s claims about hiring more teachers. While her tone was measured, she delivered a surprise accusation against Crombie, alleging that the Liberals received $25,000 in donations from “private health-care insiders.”
Crombie, in turn, made a direct appeal to NDP voters, urging them to vote Liberal to “fix the health-care system and get you a family doctor.” Her performance suggested a calculated effort to position the Liberals as the primary alternative to Ford’s PCs, rather than the NDP.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner took a different approach, using the platform to reinforce his party’s policies. While he didn’t deliver viral moments, he successfully highlighted Green priorities in an effort to grow his party’s presence at Queen’s Park.
The debate covered a range of critical issues, from health care and affordability to education and climate change. Each leader faced scrutiny on their key promises:
- Ford dodged questions about the cost of his massive 401 tunnel project.
- Crombie avoided addressing why her middle-class tax cut wouldn’t benefit those earning under $50,000.
- Stiles provided little detail on tackling the addictions crisis.
- Schreiner was called out for dropping his long-standing promise to eliminate Catholic school boards.
With just over a week until election night, the debate could influence voter preferences—not necessarily in determining the winner, but in shaping the battle for second place and opposition leadership.