Liberal, NDP candidates leave each other alone, target Tory in Sudbury debate

While Sudbury is widely seen to be a race between the NDP and Liberals, it didn't seem that way last night at a candidates debate at College Boreal sponsored by the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. 

Liberal Paul Lefebvre and New Democrat Paul Loewenberg shared several smiles through the evening and often agreed with each other.

Lefebvre beamed when most of the candidates agreed that a huge investment is needed in social housing.

"What's interesting to hear at this table today is a lot of the platforms are similar, except one," he said.

Aside from Loewenberg taking a dig at cutbacks referred to vaguely in the Liberal platform, the two Pauls saved their attacks for the Conservative government and Sudbury Tory Fred Slade. 

After Slade promised to push for housing funding if elected, Loewenberg said:

"You may go to Ottawa with the best of intentions, but Stephen Harper will shut you down, as he shuts down his entire caucus, as he shuts down the rights of our entire country."

Slade, meanwhile, argued that Sudbury has been left out thanks to opposition MPs who oppose everything and don't work hard to make things better for citizens in their riding.

"For too long our Liberal and NDP MPs have focused on complaining and criticizing," he said.

Green candidate David Robinson urged voters to take a deeper look at the Liberal and NDP ideas before deciding how to vote.

"We have to do more than what the 'Paul Twins' here are saying, which is allocate various pieces of money to various problems and hope somehow that will solve it," Robinson said.

This was the first debate to feature all 7 Sudbury candidates, including Communist Elizabeth Rowley and independents Jean-Raymond Audet and David Popescu.

Popescu, who is currently facing hate crime charges, refrained from offensive comments, but was frequently told to stay on topic.

A group of about a dozen postal workers also disrupted the debate by standing up and shouting while Slade was speaking about cuts to door-to-door delivery.

They were asked to leave, after which, Slade promised to fight to make sure any job losses at the post office are lessened by healthy severance packages or employment elsewhere in the crown corporation.

One of the strangest moments of the evening came when Robinson seemed to get very personal with Slade.

"Fred, I love you. But you're running for the wrong party. So, that makes you evil."