MONTREAL - Three federal candidates from the Mount Royal riding hashed out the issues during a radio debate on Thursday.

The NPD's Jeff Itcus, Liberal Irwin Cotler and Conservative Saulie Zajdel all say they're in it to win it.

Cotler, the incumbent, argued the election is about integrity and ethic in governance, but he said voters don't seem to be tuned into why 'this' has become the Liberal mantra.

"It seems to me not sufficiently known that the government fell because for the first time in Canadian history a government was held in contempt," he said.

Rushing to counter that statement was Zajdel, who is hoping to take the Liberal stronghold for the Conservatives.

"We're talking about integrity in government this is the people - responsible for the sponsorship scandal," he said.

Zajdel is hoping than two decades of experience in municipal politics will help him gain support.

Meanwhie, trying to ride the wave of NDP support in Quebec, Itcush took on both parties.

"The integrity of both parties of my colleagues at the table here has been called into severe question," he said. Itcush outlined a broad range of needs in Mount Royals, including the high cost of living for seniors.

A large territory, Mount Royal does have a large proportion of seniors in the Western part of the riding, 37 per cent of voters are Jewish, but it's also culturally diverse.

But when it comes to intentions, voters are all over the map.