News

Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty addressed head-on Thursday night the millstone of broken promises that hangs around his neck, saying he knows he angered Ontario voters and expects to be judged on it.

In a televised leaders debate that featured a ceaseless barrage of attacks from his two opponents, Mr. McGuinty aimed to deal with his vulnerability right off the top, when he said in a taped opening statement that he broke his word that he would not increase taxes, but did so because he found the cupboard bare when he assumed office from the previous Progressive Conservative government.

“In the last election, I told Ontarians I wouldn't raise their taxes, and I broke that promise,” he said. “I had a really tough call to make and I knew that people were going to be angry about that. I understand that and I accept that. … I expect fully to be judged on that.”

But Mr. McGuinty's opening remarks did not dissuade Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory and NDP Leader Howard Hampton, who attacked the Premier's credibility throughout the 90-minute debate, criticizing him for a health-care premium hike, failing to close coal-fired power plants and not living up to a pledge to make education funding more equitable.

The debate also featured a testy exchange over Mr. Tory's own pledge to extend public funding to religious schools, an issue that has dogged the PC Leader since the campaign began two weeks ago.

But it was Mr. McGuinty's record that dominated and that the opposition leaders have been trying to exploit hard as they campaign toward the Oct. 10 vote.

“You kept so few of your promises, it's destroyed credibility of all politicians,” Mr. Tory told the debate, which took place at the CBC headquarters in downtown Toronto.

On the health-tax decision, Mr. Hampton added, “You looked into the camera and you promised, ‘I will not raise your taxes.'”

The format of the debate – in which all three men engaged together rather than in one-on-one contests – allowed for both opposition leaders to directly attack Mr. McGuinty.

At one point, the Liberal Leader was assailed by both opponents for one of the issues that is perceived to be his strength, improving the education system. Mr. Tory accused Mr. McGuinty of abandoning an undertaking he made to improve the formula under which schools are funded.

“You said you would fix the funding formula. It is not fixed. You didn't keep your word. You didn't do what you said you would do.”

Mr. Hampton added that his nine-year-old-son, Jonathan, is in a Grade 4 class in Toronto with 38 pupils, five of whom do not speak English very well. He said there are no English-as-a-second-language or education assistants for the class.

Mr. McGuinty responded that the government has done much to help the system, by improving test scores on literacy and math tests and reducing class sizes.

“Have we achieved perfection in the public education system in Ontario?” Mr. McGuinty said. “Of course not and we never will.”

Mr. Tory did not escape scrutiny, finding himself on the defensive for his promise to extend public funding for faith-based schools.

In the first question of the debate, posed by a Mississauga woman via video, Mr. Tory was asked why he would open a “religious Pandora's box” by promising to fund religious schools.

“A great society celebrates diversity,” responded Mr. Tory, who has pledged $400-million for religious schools. He said the current system is not fair because it provides public funding for Catholic schools but not other religious schools.

“There are only two options for addressing the education funding system,” he said. “Either fund all faiths or fund no faiths.”

But Mr. McGuinty said funding religious schools will choke money from the public system and harm students' ability to learn.

“You have two choices,” he said. “You can either devote yourself to getting class sizes down and test scores up and graduation rates up … or you can plunge this province into a very controversial debate.”

He also said that Mr. Tory has travelled the province “calling me a liar in everything but name,” but that he ignored the fact that his party stuck Ontario residents with a massive deficit.

Mr. Hampton said Mr. Tory's position on faith-based funding is the wrong one, but used much of his response to assail the Liberals for their lack of school funding. He said both counterparts were both avoiding the real issue.

“If someone wants to send their children to private school … I respect their decision and the community shouldn't pay for it.”

The debate featured six taped questions from the general voting public, while the rest were written and posed by journalist Steve Paikin. The encounter came as party officials hoped to create some momentum in a campaign that has seen voter intentions stay relatively static.