TORONTO – The final mayoral debate ahead of the election was held in Toronto on Monday afternoon. Spanning an hour and a half, the debate featured five of the 31 mayoral candidates, and it got messy!
Candidates invited to participate included Gil Penalosa, Stephen Punwasi, Sarah Climenhaga, Chloe Brown, and incumbent mayor John Tory.
During the event, John Tory was interrupted by candidate Reginald Tull, who was not taking part in the debate. Tull took to the stage and called on Tory to address some of the biggest issues in the city; homelessness and affordable living.
After getting up on stage, Tull was eventually escorted out of the building. Toronto Mayor John Tory has yet to publicly address the incident, but online people have a lot to say.
Many People Agree with Tull
“Him, and other mayoral candidates, we’re EXCLUDED from the event. The people should be able to hear ALL the candidates speak!” posted one viewer.
“Well if they didn’t exclude him from the debate then he would have the forum to express what he wanted to say and suppose questions to the current mayor. I wasn’t going to vote however I think I just found my candidate,” added another.
“Tory had a moment where he could have stood up and acknowledged Tull, recognize that all candidates on the ballot didn’t have a podium, and give(n) him a few minutes to speak his peace. He would have shown his ability to lead in off-the-cuff, unscripted moments but instead, he cowered behind the moderator, the mic, and the moment. Tull stood up and refused to be denied l, breaking down barriers, and now has my vote,” commented a third.
Torontonians head to the polls on Monday, October 24th to vote for the city’s next mayor.
How do you feel about what Reginald Tull had to say? Let us know in the comments!
One Response
I totally agree! I was searching for information on all the candidates and couldn’t find it. I would have liked to hear what they all had to say. It’s unfortunate that they were not given an opportunity to be on live television.
This leaves me suspecting that there is a control issue going on when all candidates are not accommodated.