OTTAWA — The committee overseeing the federal leaders’ debates has disinvited the Green party from the proceedings in a surprise last-minute ruling.
The Leaders’ Debates Commission said in a Wednesday morning press release explaining the decision that the Greens aren’t running enough candidates to be a factor in the election.
“The Commission’s mandate is to design debates that are ‘effective, informative, and compelling and benefit from the participation of the leaders who have the greatest likelihood of becoming Prime Minister or whose political parties have the greatest likelihood of winning seats in Parliament,’” read the statement.
“(We were) guided by these principles in setting the participation criteria for the 45th general election, including (that) the party has endorsed candidates in at least 90 per cent of federal ridings.”
The Green Party hadn’t named candidates in more than 100 of the 343 federal ridings in play, as of this week, putting it well below the 90 per cent threshold.
Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault called the commission’s ruling “undemocratic” at a Wednesday press conference in Montreal.
“This decision… does not protect democracy, it protects those who’ve already had their turn,” said Pedneault.
“It protects the ones who pave over the truth, who bulldoze through public interest and leave the rest of us to pick up the pieces.”
He said the ruling was the end result of a “coordinated campaign”, led by the Bloc Québécois and Conservative commentators, to silence his voice.
Pedneault said he still expected to take the state for Wednesday’s French debate, predicting that the commission would reverse its “unjust” decision in the coming hours.
He wouldn’t say when asked by reporters if he was planning to file a formal appeal of the commission’s ruling.
The ruling comes after weeks of speculation surrounding the Greens’ nominations, with the party giving shifting rationales for its weak recruitment of candidates.
Pedneault said last week that the candidate shortfall was due, in part, to a “strategic decision” not to run Green candidates in ridings where the Conservatives were running strong, so as not to split the progressive vote.
Green party officials had alternatively pointed the finger at Elections Canada, accusing returning officers of being slow to verify nomination signatures submitted by local candidates.
The commission said the strategic culling of candidates hurt the Greens’ case for taking part in the debates.
“Deliberately reducing the number of candidates running for strategic reasons is inconsistent with the Commission’s interpretation of party viability,” read one part of the statement.
To qualify for the debates, a party must have had one seat in the House of Commons, have at least four per cent national support 28 days before the election, or have endorsed candidates in at least 90 per cent of ridings 28 days before the election.
By the deadline set by the debate commission, the Green Party was polling at less than three per cent nationwide.
Pedneaut had planned to make his leadership debate debut at Wednesday’s French debate.
The first of two leaders’ debates starts at 6 PM ET on Wednesday.
With files from the Canadian Press
National Post
rmohamed@postmedia.com
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Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault said it was a “strategic decision” not to run Green candidates in some ridings
OTTAWA — The committee overseeing the federal leaders’ debates has disinvited the Green party from the proceedings in a surprise last-minute ruling.
The Leaders’ Debates Commission said in a Wednesday morning press release explaining the decision that the Greens aren’t running enough candidates to be a factor in the election.
“The Commission’s mandate is to design debates that are ‘effective, informative, and compelling and benefit from the participation of the leaders who have the greatest likelihood of becoming Prime Minister or whose political parties have the greatest likelihood of winning seats in Parliament,’” read the statement.
“(We were) guided by these principles in setting the participation criteria for the 45th general election, including (that) the party has endorsed candidates in at least 90 per cent of federal ridings.”
The Green Party hadn’t named candidates in more than 100 of the 343 federal ridings in play, as of this week, putting it well below the 90 per cent threshold.
Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault called the commission’s ruling “undemocratic” at a Wednesday press conference in Montreal.
“This decision… does not protect democracy, it protects those who’ve already had their turn,” said Pedneault.
“It protects the ones who pave over the truth, who bulldoze through public interest and leave the rest of us to pick up the pieces.”
He said the ruling was the end result of a “coordinated campaign”, led by the Bloc Québécois and Conservative commentators, to silence his voice.
Pedneault said he still expected to take the state for Wednesday’s French debate, predicting that the commission would reverse its “unjust” decision in the coming hours.
He wouldn’t say when asked by reporters if he was planning to file a formal appeal of the commission’s ruling.
The ruling comes after weeks of speculation surrounding the Greens’ nominations, with the party giving shifting rationales for its weak recruitment of candidates.
Pedneault said last week that the candidate shortfall was due, in part, to a “strategic decision” not to run Green candidates in ridings where the Conservatives were running strong, so as not to split the progressive vote.
Green party officials had alternatively pointed the finger at Elections Canada, accusing returning officers of being slow to verify nomination signatures submitted by local candidates.
The commission said the strategic culling of candidates hurt the Greens’ case for taking part in the debates.
“Deliberately reducing the number of candidates running for strategic reasons is inconsistent with the Commission’s interpretation of party viability,” read one part of the statement.
To qualify for the debates, a party must have had one seat in the House of Commons, have at least four per cent national support 28 days before the election, or have endorsed candidates in at least 90 per cent of ridings 28 days before the election.
By the deadline set by the debate commission, the Green Party was polling at less than three per cent nationwide.
Pedneaut had planned to make his leadership debate debut at Wednesday’s French debate.
The first of two leaders’ debates starts at 6 PM ET on Wednesday.
With files from the Canadian Press
National Post
rmohamed@postmedia.com
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