Conservative candidate Darrell Pasloski wasted little time caging the battle for Yukon's federal seat as one between himself and Liberal incumbent Larry Bagnell, during an all-candidates" forum on economic development held Thursday afternoon.

While Bagnell, the Green Party's John Streicker and the NDP's Ken Bolton used their opening remarks to highlight personal qualifications, Pasloski went a step further by slamming the Liberals' key election plank.

"I guess a comment I heard Mr. Bagnell was out telling Yukoners, saying, '90 per cent of Yukoners don't understand the carbon tax,'"said Pasloski.

"What I'd like to say is 95 per cent don't like it."

Bagnell parried the first cut, preferring to "stay positive and talk about what (the Liberals) were going to do,"which was a promise of $70 billion for "the largest infrastructure announcement in Canadian history."

Two days earlier at an all-candidates' culture forum, Pasloski took a beating from the other candidates, and the public, over federal cuts to arts spending.

But Thursday's Yukon Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event, a lunchtime Opportunities North sideshow, gave Pasloski an opportunity to launch his own attack.

Before the forum began, a press release touting Pasloski's support of the "Mayo B"hydro development was distributed.

The $100-million extension linking hydro grids from Pelly Crossing to Stewart Crossing, is on the Yukon Energy Corporation"s radar, and is largely dependent on future mine projects in the region.

Pasloski"s release described it as "the best alternative to the Bagnell-Dion carbon tax."

But the Liberals" infrastructure pitch was Bagnell's comeback.

"There's a couple of items to note under there, first the clean water, sewer, transit and energy grid fund,"Bagnell said. "A project like what Darrell talked about could be funded there."

Bagnell sidestepped Pasloski's charge that a carbon tax would permanently increase the price of fuel and "do nothing but stagger this economy."

"Darrell, I wish you were listening because it's not an increase in taxes... it's a six per cent decrease in corporations and nine per cent for small

businesses,"said Bagnell.

Amidst the back-and-forth sparked by a "necessary infrastructure projects for the Yukon'"question, Streicker and Bolton stuck to the spirit of the forum by directly responding to the questions, a marked contrast throughout to the Pasloski-Bagnell side-debate.

While Streicker said expanding the Yukon"s rail network is a viable and low-energy transportation alternative, Bolton talked of infrastructure as being more than bricks and mortar.

"When we are providing support for post-secondary institutions for the North, that is infrastructure,"said Bolton.

But it was the punch-counter punch between Pasloski and Bagnell that produced more colourful exchanges.

When questions turned to improvements to current regulatory regimes, Pasloski attacked the Liberals" infrastructure plan, alleging the infrastructure money would cost $4 billion annually in interest alone.

"I"m going to ask you: Where is the money, where is the $4 billion going to come from?"queried Pasloski.

When Bagnell had the floor, he ridiculed his Conservative opponen's view of the Liberals' platform.

"Darrell, I can't believe you're making so many mistakes,"said Bagnell. "The major economists in Canada have reviewed our platform ... we're not borrowing more money."

As the forum was organized for the benefit of trade show traffic, the half-empty house was a crowd split between out-of-towners, some local business leaders and partisan supporters.

Despite the box lunch drawing a bigger crowd than the actual forum, it did not quell the enthusiasm of Pasloski or Bagnell.

When the question of economic development for rural Yukon was pitched to the candidates, Pasloski suggested Liberal Leader Stephane Dion would be weak in asserting Arctic sovereignty.

"Last week, Mr. Dion made a comment ... 'We can"t beat the Americans, we can't beat the Russians and we're too civilized to shoot the Danes,'"he said.

"To me, that sort of pointed to where the priorities are and who's got a focus on what"s important."

Bagnell countered that Prime Minister Stephen Harper had broken promises to better equip the northern military personnel.

"Related to military in the North, the prime minister promised three icebreakers and I had to push in Parliament for two years and finally, we might get one,"said Bagnell.

Two additional supply ships and four planes had been cancelled, he added.

"I don"t think that's a strength you should be playing to."

The topic of implementing land claims for first nations set the stage for Pasloski and Bagnell to disagree over which party, the Liberals or the Tories, had done more for aboriginal people.

Tackling municipal infrastructure issues had Pasloski and Bagnell revisiting the carbon tax, as it would apply to fuel used by public transit and the potential burden on the City of Whitehorse.

As the Liberals' carbon tax would not apply to diesel fuel in the first year, it offered Bagnell a simple out before he took another shot at the Conservatives' record on supporting municipalities.

"People are hard-pressed, I"ve been told, to find a municipality in Canada that"s got any new programs,"he said.

When the moderator, CKRW journalist Ron McFadyen, announced the forum would conclude with four "lightning round ... yes or no"style questions, it killed the rhetoric and established some clear differences among the four candidates.

The questions were prefaced with, "Do you and your party support…?"and included scrapping new gun control legislation, reducing the GST, a carbon tax and a northern economic development agency.

Pasloski was first, answering in the affirmative for all except the carbon tax. Bagnell said he does not support current gun registration while his party does.

The incumbent answered negative on the GST question, affirmative on the carbon tax and offered up the same split position on the development agency.

"I do,"Bagnell said when asked if he and his party support the agency.

Streicker replied in the affirmative to all questions, except for raising the GST. The Green Party's platform includes raising the GST by one per cent and directing that revenue to municipal infrastructure.

In wrapping up the "lightning round"and the debate, Bolton said he was against raising the GST, taxing carbon but supported the development agency.

When Bolton attempted to sidestep the gun control question, arguing "the context"was crucial, McFadyen cut him off and put the New Democrat down for "No."