B.C. political leaders meet in live TV debate in Oct. 24 election campaign

The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties will meet Tuesday in a televised debate that political experts say could be one of the few events where voters get a chance to truly assess the leaders in what has been a largely scripted online election campaign.

New Democrat Leader John Horgan called a snap election last month during the global COVID-19 pandemic and the debate comes with less than two weeks remaining before election day on Oct. 24.

Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson, Green Leader Sonia Furstenau and Horgan will appear live on television, radio and online for the 90-minute debate.

There will be no live audience.

Wilkinson and Furstenau will try to get the NDP leader to explain why he called an election during the pandemic.

Horgan and Wilkinson met previously in a televised debate in 2018 during the electoral reform referendum that saw voters turn down a system of proportional representation.

Furstenau is making her debut on the provincial debate stage after winning the party's leadership days before the election campaign began.