NOW and NEXT

The Ontario Leaders' Debate did little to change much in the campaign except reinforce expectations. First, the format was a complete failure. Thanks to the media consortium, leaders' debates have been reduced to a complete waste of time. They do nothing to inform voters or the campaign. Because of that, Doug Ford didn't have to do much to do well. And he excelled at doing the least he could do. Mike Schreiner managed to punch above his weight - speed bagging Ford on a couple of occassions. He didn't do much damage but asserted himself as the leader who had a firm grasp on his files and the pulse in the province. Steven Del Duca got marks for exceeding expectations. But let's be real - he barely had to raise his foot off the ground to clear that bar.  And Andrea Horwath seemed to be running for Leader of the Opposition when she needs to be gunning for the big chair if she wants to keep her job as NDP Leader. The needles didn't change much, if at all but the knives are out already. Sabrina Nanji at the Queen's Park Observer says Horwath's lacklustre performance only lit a fire under the 901 movement. (NDP'ers ready to call for her resignation as soon as the polls close on June 2nd). Sabrina also teased a story she's working on that suggests the Liberals may be in the market for a new leader sooner than later. She's been in Del Duca's riding, talking to would-be voters and after a day of canvassing could only find a single person who KNEW Del Duca's name but wouldn't commit to voting for him.