Candidates for the Conservative party leadership squared off at a leadership forum on Thursday night that covered an array of issues ranging from carbon pricing to the role of the federal government with respect to Indigenous people to Canada's obligations to NATO.

Around 200 people attended the event at the Metropolitan Entertainment Centre in Winnipeg hosted by the city's Elmwood — Transcona constituency

Ten of the party leadership candidates were in attendance in addition to moderator Rod Bruinooge, former member of parliament for Winnipeg South.

Absent from the event were Kellie Leitch, Chris Alexander and Erin O'Toole. Kevin O'Leary also wasn't present, after publicly declaring his candidacy via Facebook on Wednesday.​

Conservative debate @ The Met covers carbon tax, First Nations relations, CRTC, Indian Act, debt, CBC, Israel & price of cheese <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcmb?src=hash">#cbcmb</a> <a href="https://t.co/82ifcDMs2j">pic.twitter.com/82ifcDMs2j</a> —@BrohmanCBC

Themes of the evening included unifying the Conservative Party and growing its base, as well as tackling the country's debt and improving the economy.

Responding to questions submitted by the public, candidates weighed in on a range of issues concerning the country's future domestically and on the international stage.

Asked about Canadian military spending and the country's NATO obligations, Quebec MP Maxime Bernier said balancing the budget should be the first priority. Bernier said his first budget would focus on private sector investment and lowering taxes over military spending.

"After that, we'll create wealth and growth and we'll be able to put up the money for our defence," Bernier said.

Former Speaker Andrew Scheer said Canada has to boost spending to meet North American Treaty Organization obligations if the country is to be taken seriously by other NATO nations.

"We can do procurement smarter. There's a lot of waste in Ottawa," Scheer said.

"We need to make sure that our men and women who put their lives on the line have the tools they need."

Andrew Saxton said Canada has a responsibility as a member of NATO and the United Nations to help people around the world but stressed the importance of supporting veterans at home, too.

Indigenous relations

Candidates were also asked to weigh in on the future of relations between the federal government and Indigenous peoples.

Former North Vancouver MP Andrew Saxton argued for major changes to the Indian Act, while Quebec MP Steven Blaney (Bellechasse — Les Etchemins — Lévis) argued to abolish it altogether.

"It's the social package. It's the reserve. We need to dismantle the reserves because we don't want Canadians to be second-class citizens," Blaney said.

Asked if he would support a move to end the Indian Act, Ontario MP Michael Chong (Wellington — Halton Hills) said it wasn't a decision any government should make unilaterally.

"It's not a question for me to answer, it's a question to be answered after we consult with First Peoples and after we get their consent to move in that direction," Chong said.

Chong advocated for an increase in spending on on-reserve education.

Carbon pricing

Chong and Blaney differed again on the issue of carbon pricing.

​"We don't need more tax," Blaney said. He argued instead for smarter government spending and spoke in support of pipelines.

Chong, however, advocated for a carbon tax based on the model implemented in British Columbia in 2008.

"We as Conservatives believe in fulfilling our commitments," he said, referring to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's commitments in the Paris climate change agreement.

Ontario MP Lisa Raitt also spoke on the issue, coming down against carbon tax but in favour of other green initiatives.

"I don't think we get to that place by having a carbon tax, because I don't believe we can trust the government to actually spend the money the way they should," she said.

She argued Canada's carbon emissions are a small part of the global total, but the country punches above its weight on technology.

"Invest in technology and not the carbon tax," Raitt said.

The party is set to elect its leader on May 27. If you want to participate in the election, you have to buy a party membership by March 28.