British Columbia’s three major party leaders are facing off in the only televised debate of the provincial election campaign. The province’s deficit is a central issue, and voters can compare how the parties describe their fiscal plans as they make their case to govern.

Recent headlines point to a debate over projected finances. Reports say the B.C. NDP’s election costings would bring the deficit down to $12 billion in two years. The available research does not provide the underlying figures or explain how that projection was calculated, so it cannot establish whether the plan would meet that target.

The Conservatives have also made a campaign promise tied to finances: a $1,000 tax cut through an increase to the tax exemption level, according to a CTV headline. Another recent report says B.C. leaders presented competing economic ideas to business leaders. The supplied context does not include the parties’ full platforms or enough detail to compare the costs and effects of their proposals.

The debate is appearing in trend lists now because it is the campaign’s only debate, and recent coverage has highlighted both the deficit and parties’ economic commitments. That puts fiscal plans in focus as voters weigh the leaders’ competing claims. The headlines show what is being discussed, but they do not confirm which plan would reduce the deficit most, or how the parties’ proposals would affect public services, taxes or borrowing.