The Elizabeth May debate debacle
Just prior to the 2008 election, Independent MP Blair Wilson announced he would become a Green Party member, giving the party its first sitting member in party history.
In 2006, the Green Party was excluded from the federal leaders’ debate on the grounds that the party had no sitting MPs. When the 2008 election was called, the Greens, now under leader Elizabeth May, argued that this time they should be allowed to participate. This request was opposed by the Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois, but was supported by Stéphane Dion of the Liberals. After negotiations took place between the parties and the consortium of broadcaster who stage and televise the debate, it was announced that Ms. May and the Green Party would be excluded
 Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada |
In media stories, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper blamed the decision on the broadcasters, and then on the NDP. It later surfaced, however, that as early as 2007 Mr. Harper had threatened to boycott the debate if the Greens were included. It was the repeat of this threat, along with a similar objection from NDP Leader Jack Layton, that led to the consortium’s decision [1][2].
Much, however, had changed since the 2006 election. Increasingly, Green candidates were gaining a greater share of the popular vote. In a 2006 by-election in London North Centre Ms. May ran and placed second only to the Liberal candidate, earning nearly 26 per cent of the vote – slightly ahead of the Conservative and more than 10 per cent higher than the NDP.
Mr. Harper’s rationale for excluding Ms. May was that she was really a Liberal. He based this on an arrangement between her and Mr. Dion, in which they agreed not to run candidates in each others’ ridings, as well as statements by Ms. May that she believed the Liberal leader would be a better Prime Minister than Mr. Harper. “…It would be unfair to have two Liberal candidates in the debate, and she is Stéphane Dion's candidate in Central Nova,” Mr. Harper said [3].
The public was outraged by the decision to exclude Ms. May. Anger against Mr. Layton, especially from his core supporters within the NDP, was particularly strong. Even former Progressive Conservative MP Joe Clark weighed in on May’s behalf [4].
On September 11 it was announced that Harper and Layton had backed down and agreed not to boycott the debate if May participated. Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe, although opposed to May’s participation, had never threatened a boycott.
Mr. Harper’s decision to oppose Ms. May’s participation and his subsequent reversal was considered by some media to be one of a number of Conservative gaffes in the first week of the campaign. Even after accepting her participation, he continued to complain it wasn’t fair.
References
[1] Former CBC News chief: The election debate process is a sham, Globe and Mail Update, September 10, 2008
[2] Harper blames networks for keeping May from debate, Canadian Press/Torstar, September 10, 2008
[3] Tories blame NDP for excluding May, Canadian Press, September 11, 2008
[3] PM dons campaign sweater, National Post, September 9, 2008,
[4] NDP Facebook slams Layton; Criticized for refusing to support Greens in debate, Canwest, September 10, 2008
