Green Party calls exclusion from debates 'baseless and undemocratic'
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OTTAWA – Canada’s Green Party is accusing the producers of this week’s leader’s debates of deliberately silencing them after the party’s attempt to strategically tweak their candidate roster resulted in them being turfed from the telecasts.
Speaking to reporters from Montreal, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault said Wednesday’s decision to exclude them from the debates is baseless and undemocratic.
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“It follows a coordinated campaign by Bloc Quebecois and Conservative commentators, people who are less interested in informing Canadians than they are in protecting their political turf,” said Pedneault, who took no questions after his remarks.
“They’re afraid – not of chaos and confusion, but afraid of a clear voice that’s calling for change and fighting for Canadians.”
In a statement issued Wednesday – just hours before party leaders were to gather in Montreal for the French language debate – the Leaders’ Debate Commission rescinded its invitation for the Green Party to participate, citing the party’s decision to not run candidates in safe Conservative ridings.
“The Commission concludes that because the Green Party of Canada has intentionally reduced the number of candidates running in the election for strategic reasons, it no longer meets the intention of the participation criteria to justify inclusion in the leaders’ debates,” the statement read.
“Whether or not the Green Party of Canada intended to run 343 candidates, it has since made the strategic decision to reduce the number of candidates running, meaning that voters no longer have the opportunity to vote for those candidates.”
Deliberately cutting candidates for strategic purposes, the statement continued, is “inconsistent with the Commission’s interpretation of party viability,” which its policies were designed to determine.
“The Commission concludes that the inclusion of the leader of the Green Party of Canada in these circumstances would undermine the integrity of the debates and the interests of the voting public,” the statement said.
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Parties hoping to participate in the debate must run candidates in at least 90% of Canada’s 343 ridings 28 days before election day.
While the Green Party submitted a list of 343 candidates to Elections Canada, current figures only list Green candidates in 232 ridings – a candidacy percentage of below 70%.
Other criteria include national polling of at least four per cent 28 days before the election, and holding at least one seat in the House of Commons.
Latest Leger polling numbers put Green party support holding steady at just 3%.
The French-language debate takes place Wednesday evening. The English debate is scheduled for Thursday.
“This decision from the debates commission today does not protect democracy, it protects those who have already had their turn,” Pedneault said.
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