In a watershed election The Pointer’s debate is for the voters of Brampton

Much of political leadership is centred on trust. When leaders lose the trust of the people they govern and those they govern with, our democratic system breaks down.

During The Pointer’s mayoral all-candidates debate, which takes place this evening, September 20, at Sheridan College’s Davis Campus in Brampton, a key question will be put to each of the two front-runners in the race that will determine who will lead the city into the future.

In The Pointer’s commissioned poll of 999 eligible Brampton voters, conducted by Forum Research, incumbent mayor Linda Jeffrey received 41 percent of the support, the highest total out of the seven registered mayoral candidates for the October 22 municipal election.

On the issue of trust, she will be asked the following: Miss Jeffrey, in 2015 you suggested that supporting the provincially funded Main St. LRT alignment was a precondition to land a university in Brampton. It was a misleading comment that was not correct. Why should voters trust that you will not try to mislead them in the future in order to get what you want?

Patrick Brown had the second highest total in The Pointer’s poll, garnering 33 percent of the support.

On the issue of trust, he will be asked the following: Mr. Brown, emails by you as Ontario PC Party leader to party officials in 2017, later published by the Toronto Star, show that you directed them to “get me the result I want” ahead of a nomination meeting in Hamilton. Why should Brampton voters trust that you will not subvert the democratic system in order to get what you want?

The Pointer will publish articles after the debate detailing each candidates’ performance, breaking them down using criteria such as the accuracy of their responses, knowledge of the key issues facing Brampton, their vision for the future and whether they offer dynamic solutions, rather than criticizing others.

We hope you join us this evening at 7 p.m. inside the main student lounge, The Den, in the Student Centre building on Sheridan College’s Brampton campus. The Pointer mayoral all-candidates debate is free and open to all with no registration.