First, CTV cancels a fact-checking segment after a Conservative-led outrage campaign. Then the NDP pressures a nonpartisan advocacy group to change its polling analysis\u200b. And now, the Bloc and Conservatives mount a coordinated campaign to exclude the Green Party from the national leaders\u2019 debates\u2014and the Commission caves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worse still, the Leaders\u2019 Debates Commission didn\u2019t even inform the Green Party of its decision until this morning\u2014after it had already informed the media and issued a public statement. That\u2019s not how an impartial and independent body operates. This is the third time in this very election that a campaign of pressure and intimidation has succeeded in silencing voices. And in every case, those doing the silencing are parties with power\u2014aiming to hold on to it by suppressing dissent and distorting public debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s be clear: the Commission confirmed our eligibility. We met their criteria. We were invited. And then, under pressure from our political opponents, they reinterpreted the rules and revoked our invitation. They erred on the side of less democracy, less inclusion and less rather more diversity. The Commission was created to ensure fair, transparent and non-partisan debate rules. Instead, it caved under pressure in reversing its own position based on spin, not facts. When institutions designed to protect democracy start bowing to those who undermine it, we\u2019re in trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The negative consequences of excluding the Green Party affect the quality of democratic debate: Less pluralism, decreased electoral vitality (risking the demobilization of certain voters), and jeopardizing trust in our electoral institutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conversely, ensuring the inclusion of all relevant voices can strengthen democracy: more citizens feel listened to, the debate is richer, and the electoral competition is understood as a fair and open contest. Far from strengthening the integrity of the debate, the exclusion of the Green Party undermines it in the eyes of the public. A healthy democracy does not fear diversity of opinion but considers it a source of richness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This isn\u2019t just about the Green Party. It\u2019s a sign of a democratic deficit. Canadians deserve better than this. Democracy deserves better than this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-30-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rod Leggett<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Advisor, Strategic Communications<\/p>\n\n\n\n
media@greenparty.ca <\/p>\n\n\n\n
613-203-1542<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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