Sarnia-Lambton's federal candidates squared off in one of the final debates before the October 19 election.
They addressed a variety of issues ranging from health care, tuition fees, First Nations support, and even their behaviour in Parliament during Wednesday's event at the Lambton Inn.
Dave McPhail took some heat for his past history going against the Liberals for the Save the Jail committee, then turning around and running as a Liberal candidate in the federal election.
He says rather than fighting the Liberals, he had worked collaboratively with them to develop a business plan and get the job done.
"We put a case together as to why it should be here. It would have cost this province $5-million to start with to move that jail," says McPhail. "Working with it is two parts to what you are saying. The federal Liberals and the provincial Liberals are not the same."
NDP Jason McMichael had some difficulties with McPhail's statement, noting Trudeau's campaigning efforts are usually accompanied by Premier Kathleen Wynne.
"The fact is, a Liberal is a Liberal. We've seen the damage done by Liberal governments to this area and if Mr. Trudeau or Mr. McPhail want to distance themselves from the provincial Liberals, then they need to do a better job of that. They need to ensure that they're not campaigning together," says McMichael.
Green Party's Peter Smith was also present at Wednesday's debate streamed live on CHOK. When asked about abolishing tuition fees, he clarified his party's platform that would also help lower student debt to $10,000. He says by taxing large corporations, it would bring in $7.5-billion a year to help support those issues.
Conservative candidate Marilyn Gladu did not participate in the debate as she was absent due to health reasons.
