Torontos

Toronto: Torontos population is greater than the population in six of the 10 provinces. Because of our direct municipal electoral system, more people cast a vote for the citys mayor than for any other political office in the country. We believe Toronto voters need the best opportunity to scrutinize those standing for office to see how they compare, according to The Star. Following the model of our provincial and federal leaders debates, each event would be hosted by a respected senior journalist and provide equal airtime to the leading candidates as determined by the consortium. The events should take place in major venues in front of live audiences and, importantly, be carried simultaneously on each of Torontos local television channels, as well as live-streamed to the Internet and Toronto has long had a strong tradition of hosting community debates for its mayoral candidates. During the 2010 campaign, more than 80 debates were held throughout the city. These debates, typically organized by community organizations, tend to focus on specific issues as well as the concerns of local neighbourhoods. This tradition should be applauded and continue, but its also time that it evolve. This is why we are calling on Torontos media to create a debate consortium to plan and simulcast two major citywide debates during the 2014 mayoral campaign. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.