Happily ignoring the televised U.S. presidential debate, dozens of people peppered questions at Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca candidates Tuesday, in one of the last chances for the federal hopefuls to sway votes their way.

Incumbent Liberal Dr. Keith Martin, Conservative Troy DeSouza, NDP candidate Jennifer Burgis and Green candidate Brian Gordon faced a tough crowd not afraid to call down a candidate trying to flub through answers.

It was also a tough crowd in terms of luring swing voters. A handful of people interviewed — and likely many more — came into the forum at Isabelle Reader Theatre knowing who they will pick at the polls Oct. 14. That didn’t change more than a dozen questions later.

“I definitely have an idea who I am going to vote for. My mind didn’t change” Greg Gibson, 22, of Saanich said after the event. “I just want to make as an informed decision as possible. My candidate impressed me, but so did the other candidates. They all performed well.”

Elizabeth O’Hara of Langford said the forum “confirmed my choice was the right choice.” For Herman Surkis, it confirmed who he wouldn’t vote for.

He’s voting strategically, which means not voting for the strongest candidate at the table, he said.

“How I vote depends on how the polls are doing,” Surkis said. “This is a hot riding. It’s not necessarily about voting for the best person, but voting against the worst.”

Compared to the Church of the Advent meeting in Colwood last week, Tuesday’s forum was less adversarial, but the candidates faced a vast array of questions. Child care, Afghanistan, Falun Gong, fisheries, oil tankers, education, food safety, NAFTA, sewage treatment, whistle blowers, free speech and northern sovereignty questions were pitched to candidates, some as softball lobs.

Martin, in the spotlight the most, trumpeted his 15 years of working in the riding on health care, harm reduction, rehab for drug addicts and shipbuilding, while slamming Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government as a menace to society.

DeSouza, who piqued the audience’s curiosity almost as much as Martin, talked up how the Conservatives saved the engraving docks in Esquimalt and how it plans to boost the local shipbuilding industry. He reiterated his plan to build a McKenzie Avenue overpass and the Conservative plan to reduce greenhouse gasses with a cap-and-trade system.

DeSouza earned cheers and a few jeers by opposing building a heroin injection site in Victoria.

“A heroin site in Victoria would be devastating to our community and devastating to tourism,” he said.

Burgis came out swinging at Martin, calling him on his voting record, saying he failed stand up against corporate tax cuts, among other Conservative crimes and misdemeanors.

Gordon, seen by some as a strong candidate for the Greens, stuck with his idea of modeling Canada’s environmental and economic policies from western European nations. He said Canada should re-negotiate NAFTA, calling it “a bad deal.”

“The U.S. won’t slam its borders shut and we need to diversify trade. We also need to restrict water exports to the U.S.,” Gordon said, earning applause.

Dave Obee, moderator of the forum, noted in decades of covering federal elections, the Isabelle Reader audience generated some of the highest quality questions.

“I wasn’t really impressed with my candidate, but it wasn’t enough to change my mind,” Deanna Drschiwiski, of Esquimalt, said after the debate. “With less than a week before the election, unless you are really undecided you know who you are voting for.”

editor@goldstreamgazette.com