No debate about it: Kaniz Mouli didn’t have much to argue about on Monday.
The Liberal candidate for Oakville-North Burlington (ONB) was the riding’s only representative to show up at the Oakville Chamber of Commerce’s debate.
ONB Progressive Conservative candidate Effie Triantafilopoulos skipped the debate, as did Oakville PC candidate Stephen Crawford.
"We just received an email indicating that Effie would not be participating," said France Fournier, Oakville chamber president and CEO.
While the withdrawal gave the Liberal candidate centre stage, Mouli said she was disappointed not to be able to have a true debate.
"My opponent has proudly talked about her government’s record," she said. "However, I would have appreciated an opportunity to challenge her on this."
"Democracy is best served when there is a free exchange of ideas, and all candidates are able to present their cases to let the voters decide," added Mouli.
Burlington Tory candidate Natalie Pierre also pulled out of that community’s Chamber of Commerce debate, leaving the impression that local Conservative candidates have been muzzled.
Triantafilopoulos’ campaign did not respond to our questions about the debate.
Stephen Crawford’s campaign manager Tim Porter said they "received the invitation late in the game and had already made plans for the day."
When pressed on what was more important than taking part in the riding’s only scheduled all-candidates meeting, Porter said he was out knocking on doors and "not at liberty to answer right now."
"We’re connecting with the voters directly," he said.
The NDP and Green party candidates for the ONB riding were not able to participate because of family and medical circumstances.
For the Oakville riding, only Liberal candidate Alison Gohel and NDP candidate Maeve McNaughton took part in the debate.
A positive COVID diagnosis kept Green party candidate Bruno Sousa from participating.
The chamber has a long history of hosting debates at all political levels, noted Fournier.
"It’s a trusted source of information because you hear directly from the candidates, and this is what we like to present to the business community," she said.
Given the cancellations, the debate format was shifted to a conversation with the candidates. The event was taped and will be aired on Cogeco at a future date.
"I think it’s still informative," said Fournier. "We went ahead with our best efforts to present the candidates to the community."