Liberals, NDP only parties to show at chamber Nickel Belt debate

NDP incumbent France Gelinas and Liberal hopeful Gilles Proulx were the only candidates who took part in Thursday evening's online debate for Nickel Belt. (Photo from video)

NDP incumbent France Gelinas and Liberal hopeful Gilles Proulx were the only candidates who took part in Thursday evening's online debate for Nickel Belt.

Put on by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, it was the second night in a row the Progressive Conservatives failed to show, after skipping the Wednesday debate for Sudbury.

Also absent Thursday was Glenys Babcock, an out-of-town candidate running for the Green Party. But it was the absence of the Tory candidate Randy Hazlett that drew the ire of Gelinas and Proulx.

"I am truly disappointed," Gelinas said. "This is by design. The Conservative party does not want their candidates to take part in debates. But this is what democracy is all about."

The fact they won't up to defend their record of the last four years is an affront to voters, she said.

"I could go on and on to tell you about the harm they have done to the north, the harm they have done to small businesses in the north," Gelinas said.

"The platform they have put forth is not connected to reality. But you don't get the chance to hear any of this because their candidates don't take part in debates."

She accused Hazlett's campaign of violating election laws by putting signs on public property when that's not allowed.

"If you want to be an MPP and make the laws, the least you can do is respect the laws that are there," Gelinas said. "But he's not here to explain."

For his part, Proulx said the no-show illustrates what the PCs "think of Ontario."

"We have two candidates in Sudbury and Nickel Belt not show up for debates because they were told by their leader," he said. "People … should be insulted because they are showing their true colours."

The full 98-minute debate can be seen here.