Mississauga: 74% Reject Insults After Heated Debate

October 6, 2026 (Toronto, ON) - A new Liaison Strategies Mississauga survey finds 74% of residents say personal comments or insults about other candidates are unacceptable during an election campaign. Only 14% describe the mayoral campaign as mostly respectful. The October 2-4 poll was conducted immediately after the October 1 debate, which CityNews reported featured personal exchanges between Mayor Carolyn Parrish and former mayor Bonnie Crombie.

Liaison surveyed a random sample of 1,000 Mississauga residents from October 2 to October 4, 2026, using Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) technology. Participants were reached through random digit dialling (RDD) across both landline and cellular phone networks. The resulting data was weighted to match targets based on the 2021 Census. For the total sample, the margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, and is higher for subsamples. Results may not add to 100% due to rounding.

Liaison Strategies is one of the most accurate polling firms in Canada. It ranked #1 in accuracy in the 2025 Ontario election and #2 nationally in the 2025 federal election. Liaison is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council.

David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies, said:

"The campaign clashes have put campaign conduct in the spotlight. These results show very little public appetite for personal insults: 74% say they are unacceptable, just 12% say they are acceptable, and 14% are unsure. Making an opponent look bad is not the same as making yourself look like the better mayor."

"This is not just the other side complaining. Among respondents who initially chose Parrish, 76% reject personal insults. The figure is 75% among Crombie supporters, 74% among Tedjo supporters, and 70% among Damerla supporters. Among those initially undecided, it is 72%."

"The campaign is being heard, but not necessarily admired. Thirty-four per cent describe it as mostly mean-spirited, 38% see a mixture of respectful and mean-spirited behaviour, and only 14% call it mostly respectful. Another 14% are unsure. That gives candidates a reason to ask whether their tone is helping their message get through."

"Thirty-one per cent say criticism between candidates has mostly crossed into personal attacks, compared with 17% who call it mostly fair political debate. Thirty per cent see both, and 22% are unsure."

"There are still residents reconsidering their choices. Forty-five per cent say they have backed the same candidate throughout, but 13% report switching candidates. Another 11% have moved from undecided to a choice, while 9% have moved in the opposite direction. Fourteen per cent say they have remained undecided, and 7% are unsure how to describe their choice."

"The undecided group is not simply people who have paid no attention. Among respondents who are initially undecided, 35% say they previously supported a candidate, while 52% say they have remained undecided. Some campaigns need to recover support they once had."

"The fieldwork followed the debate, but this is not a before-and-after test of its impact. Residents were asked about the campaign as a whole, not whether they watched that debate or which candidate was responsible for its tone. Their accounts of switching are self-reported."

"The candidates have real differences to debate on taxes, housing, policing and transit. Residents are giving the campaigns a clear warning: fight over the job, not each other."

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Detailed Poll Report:

Detailed Tables:

About Liaison Strategies

Liaison Strategies is a national public opinion research firm. With 13 years of experience in Canadian polling, David Valentin, principal, has fielded hundreds of projects at the municipal, provincial and federal levels and appeared across Canadian media to discuss insights. Liaison is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), Canada's voice of the research, analytics, and insights profession both domestically and globally.