What to watch for in tonight's Montreal mayoral debate
CBC
With just over a week remaining in Montreal's municipal election, the three leading candidates for mayor are set to face off this evening in the campaign's only English language debate.
Valérie Plante of Projet Montréal, Denis Coderre of Ensemble Montréal and Balarama Holness of Mouvement Montréal will all take part in the debate, which will be broadcast live from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Polls suggest a neck-and-neck race between the incumbent, Plante, and Coderre, who served as mayor from 2013 to 2017.
The debate, moderated by CBC Montreal's Debra Arbec and CTV Montreal's Mutsumi Takahashi, will cover six topics: housing, public safety, the economy, the climate crisis, inclusion and transportation.
Daniel Béland, a political science professor and the director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said he is hopeful the debate will highlight some of the key differences between the candidates on issues such as rising rental prices and the role of policing.
"I think they will certainly exchange some punches on these issues but hopefully the tone will be such that we'll be able to understand what their policy differences are," he said.
Béland said it could also be a chance for voters to get to know Holness, who is less well known than his competitors.
CBC Montreal, The Montreal Gazette, Global News Montreal, CJAD 800, CityNews Montreal and CTV News Montreal are jointly producing the event which is the only English-language debate to be held during the campaign.
How to watch or listen starting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday: