Facing off for the final time: Ontario's party leaders vie for your vote in tonight's debate

It's debate night.

Tonight the leaders of Ontario's major parties face off for their third and final televised debate before the June 7 election, and if you haven't made up your mind about which party to vote for yet, you'll want to tune in.

The debate is one of the last big chances for the leaders to make their cases to Ontarians. And if the three weeks since the first televised debate are any indication, much could change in the remaining days before voters head to the ballot box.

The PCs' huge lead has collapsed, the NDP has experienced an unprecedented surge in popularity, and the Liberals — who had once contemplated a future as the Official Opposition after 15 years in office — now face a potential loss on voting day. Here's what's at stake.

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, who has not been invited to participate, will share his answers to the debate in a live viewing event in Guelph called "Infiltrate the debate," where he hopes to secure his party's first seat at Queen's Park.

CBC will have special coverage tonight of the debate, which will take place at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre. The debate begins at 6:30 p.m. ET. This is how you can watch.

Here's where we are on Day 19.  

Latest from the campaign

• What's at stake in final Ontario leaders' debate?
  • ​An analysis piece by reporter Joanne Chianello on the dramatic change in the Ontario election campaign in the three weeks since the first televised leaders' debate.

• What we can learn from Doug Ford's days on Toronto city council

  • Voters may not be able to look to Queen's Park for evidence of Ford's priorities, but they can look to his track record at city council for signs. Colleagues of the now-PC leader recall him as a "ruthless" but "jovial" city councillor with a focus on cost-cutting and a penchant for picking fights.

• New ads encourages citizens to go on a 'vote date'

  • ​​If you plan on catching a flick at a Cineplex-owned theatre between now and election day, you may see an ad encouraging you to go on a "vote date." The initiative is the brainchild of Duff Conacher, the man behind Democracy Watch, Vote Promise and Vote Party, which is running "vote date" campaign to encourage people to turn up at the polls.

The moment

"You never take people for granted and you never take your voters for granted."

That was Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath's response to a question from a reporter on whether she thinks she has her home riding of Hamilton Centre "in the bag."

She placed her ballot in the advanced poll on Sunday morning along with her son Julian. 

"Yes, I'm always nervous. You can't ever take people for granted."  

"The people of this area deserve to know that I'm still connected to our community and I'm still passionate about our community," Horwath said.

She has been the Hamilton Centre riding MPP since 2011 and before then was the Hamilton East MPP from 2004-2007.

According to CBC's Ontario Poll Tracker, as of May 25, Horwath's NDP remains slightly ahead of the PC party in the polls. 

Noted

At CBC Music Festival Saturday night at Echo Beach in Toronto, the lead singer of the headliner band July Talk got political before the crowd.

Toronto-based Leah Fay paused from singing for a moment during the band's last song of the night to share what's been on her mind lately. 

"Who here is registered to vote in the next Ontario election?" Fay shouted to the crowd. 

"I need you to vote."

"Your voice matters to me, especially you young'uns who don't tend to vote."

Watch Leah's call out to vote, scroll to the 1:19:00 mark

"If you don't know who to vote for, I need you to figure it out, I need you to register yourself, and I need you to go vote. Thank you, that's all."

Fay then continued on with her performance to close the festival. Fay's done a similar callout on her Instagram account.

Riding to watch

Don Valley West, population 102,510.

If the pollsters are right, there's a very good probability that the Liberals will not be forming a government come June 8. But will Kathleen Wynne, the face of the Ontario Liberal Party for the last five years, keep her seat at Queen's Park?

Wynne originally snatched the riding from Tory control when Dalton McGuinty became premier in 2003 and continues to enjoy significant support in Don Valley West. But 15 years of Liberal government have left many voters hungry for change. Similarly, some of the loudest opposition to her government's modernized sexual education curriculum came from parents and advocates in the riding.

Jon Kieran, an energy executive and consultant, is running for the PCs. He's been a fierce critic of Wynne's handling of the Hydro file, an issue that has resonated deeply with voters. Kieran hopes that history will repeat itself, as the riding has thwarted a provincial party leader before: former PC leader John Tory lost to Wynne in Don Valley West in 2007.

Where the leaders are

Ford: Leaders' debate at 6:30 p.m. in Toronto 
Horwath: Voting in the advanced poll in her riding of Hamilton Centre (10:15 a.m.), leaders' debate at 6:30 p.m. in Toronto 
Schreiner: Speaking at a church in Etobicoke (11 a.m.) In Guelph for a public debate-viewing event starting at 6 p.m.
Wynne: Starting the day off with the Toronto Women's 5K Run (7:45 a.m.), leaders' debate at 6:30 p.m. in Toronto 

We're tracking the Ontario leaders on the campaign trail, see where they have stopped.

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For more Ontario election coverage

Ontario poll tracker | Get the latest projections here
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