Doug Ford came under repeated attack from both the NDP and Liberal leaders during Sunday鈥檚 provincial election debate for not yet presenting a full platform, when Ontarians are already casting their ballots in advanced polls.

Recent polls have suggested the NDP has surpassed Ford鈥檚 Progressive Conservatives in popular support, which also made party leader Andrea Horwath a target in the third and final televised debate of the campaign. But she shot back at Ford after he slammed the NDP over an error in the party鈥檚 platform that means it would cost $1.4 billion more per year than expected.

鈥淲e did admit that there was a mistake and we fixed it right away,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e haven鈥檛 even seen any numbers from Mr. Ford. People started voting yesterday, Mr. Ford 鈥� where is your platform? Where is your respect for the people now, when they鈥檙e already at the polls and you haven鈥檛 provided them any information about what it is you plan to do in our province? What are you going to cut?鈥�

Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne 鈥� whose approval ratings plummeted below 20 per cent as premier, and whose party is a distant third in the polls 鈥� slammed Ford as well for not having a plan. As Ford criticized the state of the province鈥檚 health-care system under the Liberal government, he said he would consult with front-line health-care workers to fix the problems.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to make sure that we listen to the front-line doctors and the nurses,鈥� he said.

鈥淵ou know what Doug, you could have had those conversations then you could have had a platform ready,鈥� Wynne said. 鈥淭he fact is, that鈥檚 actually how you write policy. That鈥檚 how you develop a platform and policy, you talk to the people in the field.鈥�

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Questions about funding Ford鈥檚 pledges have largely been met with vague promises of finding 鈥渆fficiencies.鈥� The Liberals and NDP say that just means cuts to public services, but Ford has said his efficiencies wouldn鈥檛 result in a single job loss.

Ford and Horwath鈥檚 attacks during the debate focused almost exclusively on each other, as polls suggest the two are leading the race to become the next premier.

Wynne, meanwhile, slipped a hashtag-worthy phrase into her opening statement.

鈥淗ere鈥檚 what I want to say about the last five years: sorry not sorry,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really, genuinely sorry that more people don鈥檛 like me. But I am not sorry about all of the things that we鈥檙e doing in Ontario to make life better.鈥�

Wynne used her question in a leader-to-leader section of the debate to challenge Horwath, who said she couldn鈥檛 imagine a scenario in which she would use back-to-work legislation 鈥� as the Liberal government did to end a five-week strike by college faculty last year.

鈥淚 know that you are beholden to the unions on this,鈥� Wynne told Horwath.

鈥淥h Kathleen, wow. That鈥檚 really sad,鈥� Horwath replied.

Wynne argued there needs to be a tool to end labour disputes, while Horwath said such legislation isn鈥檛 a tool, it is a removal of constitutional rights.

But largely the debate had Horwath and Ford sparring.

When the NDP leader said her leader-to-leader question was for Ford, he said he 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 expect anything different鈥� and she replied, 鈥淲ell, that鈥檚 good, you鈥檙e catching on.鈥�

鈥淪how us the plan, Mr. Ford,鈥� Horwath said, repeating her call for him to release a fully costed platform with less than two weeks to election day.

鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 buy a used car without looking under the hood. Why should anybody buy your plan without seeing it?鈥�

Ford, who has refused to say when he would release his full plan except to say it would be before June 7, warned that an NDP government would bring economic turmoil, invoking former NDP premier Bob Rae in suggesting businesses will move to the United States.

鈥淭he NDP will annihilate, my friends, the middle class,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen it before.鈥�

Ford鈥檚 lack of a costed platform could be something that hurts his credibility with voters, said Western University associate political science professor Cristine de Clercy.

鈥淚 think they generally made him look pretty foolish tonight over his lack of a platform,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e unconsciously contributed to this perception 鈥� by consistently attacking the other parties鈥� programs and then they would immediately rebut and say, 鈥榃ell what about yours?鈥� He doesn鈥檛 have a good answer for that.鈥�

De Clercy said all three leaders performed better than she had expected, achieving what they needed to during the debate. Horwath was confident and positive but forceful, she said.

鈥淚 thought, she鈥檚 ready for prime time,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is someone who is working at communicating she can govern. I鈥檝e been watching her for a while and I鈥檝e never had that impression before.鈥�

De Clercy said she thought Ford did well and went to great lengths to paint a stark picture of Ontario under an NDP government.

鈥淗e used the word 鈥榯errifying鈥� several times,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was clear to me that he sees the challenge in Ms. Horwath and he really pulled out all the stops, he did every thing he really could to signal to voters why the New Democratic Party is not a good choice.鈥�

Wynne鈥檚 鈥渟orry, not sorry鈥� defence was a novel good way to address her unpopularity, but may not matter in the end to voters, she said.

Shawn Jeffords and Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

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