Greens qualify to join Liberals, Conservatives, NDP and BQ at leaders’ debates

The Green Party has successfully met the criteria to participate in two federal leaders’ debates this month, as announced by organizers on Tuesday. The Leaders’ Debates Commission confirmed that the party had met two out of three required criteria to have its leader invited to both the French debate on April 16 and the English debate on April 17, both scheduled for 7 p.m. in Montreal.

This year, the threshold for participation was higher than in previous years, with parties needing to meet two out of three criteria. The Green Party successfully met the first and third criteria, which include having representation in the House of Commons by at least one MP before dissolution and having candidates nominated in at least 90% of federal ridings across Canada. The party, led by co-leaders Jonathan Pedneault and Elizabeth May, will have Pedneault take on singular leadership roles during the campaign.

Despite polling at 2.4% as of Tuesday, with the potential to lose seats if an election were held today, the Green Party will be present in the upcoming debates. The Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc Québécois have also qualified for both debates, while the People’s Party of Canada did not meet the requirements due to having no elected MPs and not polling high enough by the consortium’s deadline.

Last month, Quebec broadcaster TVA canceled a third televised debate, known as Face-à-Face, after Liberal Leader Mark Carney declined to attend the French-language event. This decision was met with criticism from his opponents, with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh calling it “insulting to Quebecers.” TVA stated that they were forced to cancel the debate due to the Liberal Party of Canada’s refusal to participate, despite the willingness of the Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc Québécois to pay the $75,000 fee to take part.

The upcoming federal leaders’ debates promise to be crucial in shaping the discourse leading up to the election, providing Canadians with the opportunity to hear from the leaders of the major political parties on key issues facing the country. Stay tuned for more updates on the debates and the campaign trail as the election draws nearer.