Who won the Ontario election leaders' debate? Here's what you need to know

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On Friday, leaders of the four main Ontario political parties squared off in North Bay for their first of two debates ahead of election day, Feb. 27. Here’s what sharp-eyed analysts Brigitte Pellerin,?Bruce Deachman and Randall Denley concluded about their appearance.

Who won this debate?

Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa writer: The status quo! Seriously, this was Doug Ford’s debate to lose and he didn’t. Opposition leaders did what they needed to do and performed well, but they failed to pierce the armour of the premier’s indifference. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie accused him of lying several times and he laughed it off. Ford stuck to his message about the need to grow the economy and the need to protect against U.S. tariffs.

Bruce Deachman, Ottawa Citizen columnist: I want to say Green party Leader Mike Schreiner, because he at least stood out among the three opposition leaders, who too often seemed to be saying the same things and trying to claim the same ground. More than the NDP’s Marit Stiles or the Liberals’ Bonnie Crombie, he offered more substantive options to Ford’s Conservatives.

But the winner was probably Doug Ford, who withstood the others’ attacks without suffering serious damage. One example was when the topic of mental health and substance abuse came up. Ford’s policies of tearing down encampments and closing supervised consumption sites should have been easy fodder with the other leaders, but he suffered barely a scratch. I don’t think his standing will be much affected by this debate.

Randall Denley, NP and Citizen columnist: Doug Ford, not because he did anything brilliant, but because he was closest to known reality. The opposition leaders made wildly inaccurate claims about the extent of the homelessness problem, housing starts, and a giant downloading problem that doesn’t exist. Poor preparation or deliberate misrepresentation?

What did you learn that surprised you?

Pellerin: I had never heard the story of Bonnie Crombie’s biological father’s mental-health struggles. It humanizes her pitch for coordinated and properly funded mental health and addictions services. On a different note, I was pleasantly surprised to see that all three opposition parties appear ready and willing to work together against threats from south of the border as well as on health care and affordability, which is both reassuring and reasonable. Necessary, too.

Deachman: I was a little surprised that the three opposition leaders so willingly painted themselves in the same camp. When Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were attacking Doug Ford, you could often hear Crombie saying “That’s right.” That said, Ford seemed happy to lump the three together, repeatedly and almost proudly noting that they all voted against various Conservative initiatives. Instead of dividing and conquering, he united them to conquer.

Denley: The biggest surprise was Liberal Bonnie Crombie. A key part of her job was to present herself as a better choice than the NDP’s Marit Stiles. Crombie accomplished that with a vigorous and measured attack on Ford, but there aren’t 200,000 people without a home in Ontario. The real number is 80,000.

Was there a turnaround moment, a “knockout” punch in this sparring match?

Pellerin: There were a number of powerful rhetorical blows. Doug Ford claiming that he’s the only one on the stage never to have raised taxes probably stung. So did teasing Green Leader Mike Schreiner by pointing out he wouldn’t cut a dandelion to build a house. In the debate about affordable housing, NDP Leader Marit Stiles said Ontario was now a have-not province and I expect that line will come back during the campaign.

The closest thing to a knock-out punch was Bonnie Crombie accusing Doug Ford of cynicism over the timing of this election and saying the premier is only trying to protect one job, his own.

Deachman: I don’t think so, unless it was Marit Stiles knocking herself out with statements like “We have a plan to bring down the cost of everything” and “I am going to defend every job in every sector.” It felt like a high-school student council debate.

Denley: The knockout punch came from Marit Stiles and it was self-inflicted. Of the four leaders, she gave the worst performance and projected the least likeability.

— Brigitte Pellerin is an Ottawa writer; Bruce Deachman is the Ottawa Citizen’s local columnist. Randall Denley is a columnist for the National Post and Ottawa Citizen, and a former PC candidate. Tune in Monday night, for more pundit views following the leaders’ second debate, which starts at 6:30 pm on Family Day.