Sudbury NDP gearing up for leadership forum

Sudbury entertainer Stephane Paquette will moderate an upcoming local debate for the eight candidates vying to become the next leader of the federal NDP.

Paquette is best known for his acting roles on the locally-shot TFO television shows Météo+ and Les Bleus de Ramville, although he's also a musician and radio broadcaster.

“He has a really entertaining style and good political sense,” Richard Eberhardt, president of the Sudbury NDP riding association and the organizer of the Northern Ontario Leadership Forum, said.

“He wants to put on show for the people who attend the debate, but also hold the candidates to task and make sure they stay on their toes. It's going to be a different sort of debate.”

The debate takes place Feb. 5 starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Steelworkers Hall on Brady Street.

“It's going to be great,” Eberhardt said. “We feel like we're bringing a big show to town.”

All eight leadership candidates — Niki Ashton, Nathan Cullen, Paul Dewar, Thomas Mulcair, Peggy Nash, Romeo Saganash, Martin Singh and Brian Topp — are set to participate.

The federal NDP, the country's official opposition, is choosing a new leader March 24. The leader's seat was left vacant after former leader Jack Layton died of cancer last summer.

Because all NDP members are able to vote, it's important for local members to be able to “size up” the candidates, Eberhardt said.

“If we don't host a debate here, there's no guarantee that the issues important to northern Ontario are going to come up in the course of this leadership race,” he said.

“We'll have voting members here listening to see which candidate they're going to support.”

Posted by Arron Pickard