Watch above: Why voters are yearning for actual policy to be debated among mayoral candidates. Jackson Proskow reports.
TORONTO – Monday night’s debate in the basement of an East York church was biased, Mayor Rob Ford said Tuesday.
“Obviously it was a partisan debate, it was a biased debate. But that’s ok, that’s how they chose to do it, that’s how they do it,” Ford told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
The mayor and his brother clashed with organizers before the debate even started because Doug Ford, the mayor’s campaign manager, wasn’t allowed inside.
Mayoral candidates were told ahead of time they would only be allowed one staff member due to space limitations.
Though mayoral candidate Karen Stintz said she shared some of them mayors “frustrations” she was told ahead of time she wouldn’t be allowed to arrive with an entourage.
But that didn’t stop the Fords from demanding they be allowed in – the organizers’ initial refusal, the brothers claimed, was an example of their bias.
“You can have your biased debate. You’re part of the John Tory campaign,” Doug Ford told the debate organizer Justin Van Dette.
Watch: (Mon, Jul 28) Doug Ford restricted from mayoral debate
Mayoral candidate John Tory however criticized the mayor and his brother, saying they manufactured the outrage to distract from the content of the debate.
“It’s a complete sideshow. The Fords will do anything to distract from discussion of the real issues. As I said last night it was them having a big dispute about the format or the rules or some such thing and next time you know, trained bears riding unicycles and people in funny costumes,” Tory said.
“I just think we should stop getting diverted by the side shows and make them discuss the real issues.”
David Soknacki’s campaign manager tweeted he gave up his seat at the debate for a community member who wasn’t able to find a seat.
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