Mayor Gérald Tremblay was combative as he faced off against Vision Montreal Leader Louise Harel in the first televised debate ahead of the Nov. 1 municipal elections.

The debate aired Wednesday on the French-language LCN network.

The two candidates debated five themes, ranging from ethics to economic development, which led to heated exchanges.

Tremblay was systematically on the attack — not only in defending his own record, but also in questioning Harel on decisions she made as municipal affairs minister in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The Vision Montreal candidate was often on the defensive, but still managed to score a few points as she pointed out Tremblay's numerous regrets.

Harel said Tremblay was trying to deflect attention from his poor record.

"November 1st it will be his administration who will be severaly judged by the population,” she said.

Tremblay also attacked the record of the previous Vision Montreal administration.

Under then mayor Pierre Bourque, Tremblay said the city invested only $16 million a year to maintain infrastructure, while he said the current administration has spent more than $600 million in the past four years.

Harel expressed her desire to see Montreal welcome the 2020 World Expo to the city, a plan Tremblay received with scepticism.

He said Harel offered only vague proposals on her plans "and proved she has a superficial knowledge of the problems of the city of Montreal."

Projet Montreal leader Richard Bergeron was not invited to take part in the debate.

A second, English-language debate was cancelled after Harel said her English wasn't good enough for the "confrontational" format.