Leaders from five federal parties will square off in two debates next month, according to the commission in charge of the events.
The Leaders’ Debates Commission said Saturday (Aug. 21) that leaders from the Bloc Québécois, Conservative Party of Canada, Green Party of Canada, Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party will square off in an English-language debate on Sept. 9 and a French-language debate on Sept. 8.
Neither the People’s Party of Canada nor the Maverick Party – formerly Wexit – will be invited to the debate ahead of the Sept. 20 election.
The Leaders’ Commission has set the criteria for participation in the debate as follows:
- On the date the general election is called, the party is represented in the House of Commons by a Member of Parliament who was elected as a member of that party; or
- The party’s candidates for the most recent general election received at that election at least 4 per cent of the number of valid votes cast; or
- Five days after the date the general election is called, the party receives a level of national support of at least 4 per cent, determined by voting intention, and as measured by leading national public opinion polling organizations, using the average of those organizations’ most recently publicly-reported results.
According to the average of several national polls, the People’s Party of Canada received 3.27 per cent support and the Maverick Party received 0.5 per cent support, both too low to qualify for the four per cent qualification level. Neither of the two parties is represented in House of Commons and neither received at least four per cent of votes in the last federal election.
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