Bloc, NDP, Conservatives against democratic debate

Three of four federal parties already in the leadership debate won't participate in it if Elizabeth May is allowed in. The Green Party has fulfilled all of the arbitrary requirements to participate in the debate, but the broadcast consortium responsible for organising them has allowed three parties to veto a decision that is not theirs to make.

I, for one, wish Elizabeth May luck in her now inevitable court challenge to get in to the debate. Even though I have no intention of voting for a party that pushes to change the electoral system to get in the back door of parliament, I believe it is the right of the leader of any serious party to attend televised leaders debates as a participant. The federal Greens have a slate, a platform, and a member of parliament. The time for excuses is at an end.

Posted at 16:29 on September 08, 2008

45 days down, 37 to go | elections leadership | Day 50 of the Guelph campaign

Chrystal Ocean (challengingthecommonplace.blogspot.com) writes at Mon Sep 8 16:49:58 EDT 2008...

"I have no intention of voting for a party that pushes to change the electoral system to get in the back door of parliament."

That you won't vote Green is one thing and your right. But to suggest that the Greens want to change the electoral system - as the NDP also has claimed it wants to do - is dishonest. The NDP purportedly wants to change the electoral system because it's the right thing to do, for the sake of democracy no less (and then the party works to exclude May from the debates - yea, right).

Why should it be so hard to understand that the Greens want electoral reform for the same reason? To restore voters' democratic rights.

Sid writes at Mon Sep 8 17:08:27 EDT 2008...

I find it hard to believe as they are trying to get in the backdoor of the debates in a non-democratic way, seems a very poor way to show you are for reform.

Harry S writes at Tue Sep 9 00:34:08 EDT 2008...

May sold her soul to the Liberal party once she got into bed with Dion and their sweetheart deal. I bet Layton is pleased May is excluded so he can attempt to proclaim and reclaim the 'green' vote because Jack has been crying all along that the NDP is the true environmental party.

I'm betting Harper is right that before the campaign ends, May declares her support for the Liberal party and tells Canadians to strategically vote Liberal. You don't think this wasn't all arranged before their sweetheart deal .. and possibly a cozy sinecure for her as well courtesy of some Liberal-connected corporation or bank.

East of Eden writes at Tue Sep 9 05:18:15 EDT 2008...

May appears to be an opportunist who is out for herself; power-hungry and all that. The Green Party is not an established party and, yet, she is trying to force her way into the debate. To what end? Her "party" will not gain many seats, if any, so what is her goal? Methinks she just wants to make trouble. And to call Harper an anti-feminist is just so beyond the pale. She's shown herself to be the type who cannot accept that she doesn't always get her way and then she falls back on that old line about Harper hating women. I am sure that at some point, she'll join the Liberal party. This Green "party" shtick is just a vehicle to promote her own goal.

Chris writes at Tue Sep 9 19:51:40 EDT 2008...

Who is of more value to Canadian electorate, Elizabeth May or Gilles Duceppe. May has candidates in all ridings in Canada, Duceppe speaks only for separatists in Quebec. My money is on May

Deb Prothero writes at Tue Sep 9 23:06:34 EDT 2008...

It's starting to look like Harper and Layton are in bed together on this one. Seems like odd bedfellows. Preston Manning was able to participate in the national debates when he had one MP and Reform wasn't even offering a candidate in every riding at that time. There is no excuse for May not to be allowed to participate. It appears to be an editorial decision in the end, which is a sad reflection of our media.

Harry S writes at Wed Sep 10 17:47:46 EDT 2008...

From a G&M article today:

"The political path has been cleared for Elizabeth May to participate in the televised leaders debates after first NDP Leader Jack Layton and minutes later Conservative Leader Stephen Harper withdrew threats to boycott."

Now let's see if May will disagree with Dion's Green Shift Carbon Tax with only one paragraph(on page 16) on GHG targets and 44 pages on how and why he intends to collect a tax and promises to ensure that the Ottawa central government will be protected because the scheme is "revenue neutral" to the country's treasury.

East of Eden writes at Thu Sep 11 10:12:10 EDT 2008...

How is it that the three are against democratic debate? The four leaders of valid parties will be debating - that sounds pretty democratic to me. Unfortunately, one blogger has gone on and on about how he is the proponent of democracy and has managed to convince a lot of sheeple that this whole election is about democracy. Have we lost any rights? Have our lives changed? Uh, no. This whole "democracy" thing is just a sham - we have not lost one iota of democracy. Elizabeth May is being the undemocratic one - the majority decided to not include her and she is forcing herself in using very undemocratic methods.