Ontario’s closest election in decades suddenly descended into one of its nastiest midway through Tuesday’s debate.

Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty accused Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak of being a xenophobe for opposing scholarships for foreign students, a tax credit to help new Canadians in skilled professions and $7 billion in green energy investments from South Korea’s Samsung.

Hudak countered by suggesting McGuinty is a liar whose word cannot be trusted after a litany of broken promises over two terms in office.

Caught in the middle — literally, after winning the draw to have the centre podium — was NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who castigated her two male rivals for their behaviour.

With polls suggesting that Ontarians may not give any party a majority of seats in the Legislature on Oct. 6 for the first time since 1985, all three leaders used the lone province-wide televised debate to promote themselves and attack their adversaries.

“He says he doesn’t believe we should provide any scholarship support to foreign students,” said McGuinty, dramatically putting air quotes on the word “foreign” as he motioned at Hudak.

“He says he doesn’t like Samsung, in part because it’s a foreign multinational . . . during the course of the campaign, he called Canadian citizens ‘foreigners.’ I’m not comfortable, I’ve got to tell you I’m not comfortable. ‘Foreign’ students, ‘foreign’ multinationals and ‘foreigners,’” he said.

Hudak appeared momentarily flustered at being assailed.

“Hold on a second here, let’s hold on a second here and look at what the reality was. I know you want to say anything and not talk about your record and lost jobs . . . and raising taxes,” countered the PC leader.

“I never said that. The reality is you brought in an affirmative action subsidy of $10,000. We should all be treated equally — an equal chance at a job based on how hard you want to work, your skills and your experience — not a $10,000 affirmative action cheque for a select few.”

Horwath tried to turn down the temperature, lamenting that “when the tenor of the discussion sinks to this level, we lose sight of what” is important to voters.

“That’s, I think, the most unfortunate thing that I’ve seen in this campaign so far is the hurling of accusations and insults when we should be focusing on how we make Ontario a better place where people come first, where students come first, where jobs come first,” she said.

Appearing well-rehearsed, Hudak relished in repeating some of his most pointed criticisms of McGuinty from his campaign stump speeches.

“With all due respect, nobody believes you anymore,” he told the Liberal leader twice, noting how taxes have gone up since the Grits took office in 2003.

“I just don’t know how you can say things are going well in Ontario. Your jobs plan has been a failure. Sir, your green energy jobs are nothing but a shell-game. You have a failed course. You’ve chased jobs out of the province. We can’t afford Dalton McGuinty anymore.”

Fed up with Hudak’s repeated claims that Ontario’s economy is suffering, McGuinty threw a Tory icon back at him.

“I’m with Bill Davis on this. He says it’s unbecoming to run down our province like this,” he said, referring to the former PC premier who governed from 1971 to 1985 and who is quoted in testimonial in the Liberal campaign platform.

“I’m not saying it’s all sunshine and apple pie … (but) we’re the best job creator in the country.”

While Horwath and Hudak frequently agreed with one another as they derided the Liberals’ record, she was unhappy when he said voters could choose between the Tories and “two high tax parties.”

“That’s not true,” she interjected. “Mr. Hudak knows I’m not raising taxes on families.”

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Horwath, far more surefooted than her lacklustre performance in a debate on northern issues with Hudak on Friday in Thunder Bay, mocked the Tory for appropriating her plan to remove the provincial portion of the 13 per cent harmonized sales tax from energy bills.

“You like that idea. I’m glad you borrowed it,” she told him.

Moderated by Steve Paikin of TVOntario, the debate from a temporary studio in the atrium of the CBC Broadcasting Centre consisted of the candidates answering six questions from ordinary Canadians selected from about 1,000 submissions.

With hundreds of thousands of Ontarians watching on CBC, CTV, Global, Sun News Network, TVOntario, and CP24 and online, the three leaders focused their attention on the camera more than each other.

McGuinty recited statistic after statistic about improvements to health care and education while Hudak noted the tax increases and transgressions, like the eHealth Ontario expenses scandal, and Horwath painted herself as a more palatable agent of change than her Tory competitor.

Several times, the Liberal leader reminded viewers that Hudak was a minister in the PC administrations of former premiers Mike Harris and Ernie Eves.

“They closed 28 hospitals. There was war in our schools,” said McGuinty.

Hudak, however, said the election is about the future not the past.

“I want you to ask yourself, can you afford four more years of Dalton McGuinty.”

For her part, Horwath emphasized Ontarians need not be saddled with either the Liberals or the Conservatives.

“You can choose the status quo that hasn’t been working. Choose one of the same old suits or you can choose change that puts people first.”

Green Leader Mike Schreiner was not invited to participate because his party holds no seats in the Legislature.

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