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Candidates trade barbs on live radio

The end is near to what many have called a sleepy provincial election campaign, but as the candidates enter the home stretch they have started to pour gasoline onto the fire.



The end is near to what many have called a sleepy provincial election campaign, but as the candidates enter the home stretch they have started to pour gasoline onto the fire.

Liberal incumbent Monique Smith, Progressive Conservative Bill Vrebosch and New Democrat Henri Giroux joined news director Richard Coffin and morning show announcer Dean Belanger for a lively radio debate Friday morning at the CKAT Studios.

All three held nothing back trading barbs over all topics including health care to faith based education to the loss of laundry jobs.

At times the three battled to be heard over each other, which was confusing for listeners and sounded more like a school yard fight, but in the end it added the heat that has been missing from the campaign.

Smith and Vrebosch got into it several times with Smith correcting the Conservative candidate after he declared the issue of Faith Based Schools was off the table.

“It is not off the table, he said there will be,” starts Smith.

“There you go again, there you go again,” pipes in Vrebosch.

“No, misinformation Bill, you are putting out misinformation. John Tory said he would have a …”

Again Vrebosch pipes in “You’re not listening … that’s the problem you have you just don’t listen.”

Smith continued to correct the candidate, “Free vote on the issue. There will be a vote on the issue … the issue is not off the table. The issue is part of the Tory platform this is the fifth position you’ve taken on this Bill.”

“Good God would you listen,” states Vrebosch.

Unshaken Smith continued, “You were supporting John, you were not supporting John, you were on, you were off … it is not off the table.”

The Conservative candidate countered by asking what Smith has done for Nipissing accusing her of doing nothing and putting her party ahead of the riding.

Smith then turned the table on Vrebosch asking him what he would do for Nipissing and exactly what his party means by finding efficiencies.

Outside of the studios Vrebosch dismissed NDP candidate Henri Giroux telling reporters that the race is now down to him and Smith, which was news to Giroux who says he is in it for the long run.

“Henri knows he’s not going to win this,” states Vrebosch.

“I don’t know why Billy is saying that,” Giroux questions.

“I don’t know why his is making those statements. I think people are going to get orange this time.”

“When I go to visit people at the door they say they are going to vote for me … or people who have not voted before say they are going to come out and vote,” he adds.

Giroux says he enjoyed the debate and having an opportunity to get his issues out. He says people are now looking his way because they are tired of broken promises.