Canadian leaders debates are leaders debates televised during federal elections in Canada, made up of two debates, one in French and one in English, usually held on back-to-back nights. The first time these debates were held was during the 1968 election.[1] They are currently produced by a consortium of the main Canadian television networks, namely the CBC/SRC, CTV, Global and TVA, although other channels such as CPAC (and C-SPAN in the United States; English-language debate only) carry the broadcasts as well.
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Although there are usually a dozen or so political parties registered with Elections Canada at any given time, not all party leaders participate in the debate. The rules have shifted over time, but the most accepted criteria requires that a political party needs to have representation in the House of Commons as well as proven popular support in the country of at least 5 per cent of popular vote in the polls.[1] Over the years, there have been at least three, and as many as five, leaders at each such debate.
Prior to the 2008 election, the Green Party of Canada, which, from at least the 1997 election until 2008, was consistently the highest-polling party among those without a seat in Parliament, had unsuccessfully argued on several occasions for a role in the debates.
Some commentators have questioned the rationale for allowing the Bloc Québécois to participate in the English-language debates, given that the Bloc does not contest any ridings outside the predominantly French-language province of Quebec, and garners little support from that province's anglophone residents. In the 1993 French-language debate, Reform Party leader Preston Manning opted to make only an opening statement, as he was only fluent in English at the time.[2] However, as parties with seats in the House of Commons prior to the election, they qualify (or qualified) regardless of this criticism. In 2011, there was considerable controversy about the exclusion of Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who had participated in the 2008 debate.
| Party leaders and participants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Paul Martin, Liberal | Stephen Harper, Conservative | |
| Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Québécois | Jack Layton, NDP | |
There were four debates for the 2006 election. The first two were held in Vancouver. The French-language debate was on Thursday, December 15, followed the next day by the English debate, which was moderated by Trina McQueen, who was President and COO of CTVGlobemedia from 2000 to 2002. The final debates were scheduled for Gatineau or Montreal, the English-language debate on Monday, January 9, the French-language debate on January 10.
The four participants were Liberal leader and incumbent prime minister Paul Martin, Conservative leader Stephen Harper, NDP leader Jack Layton, and Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe.
| Party leaders and participants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Harper, Conservative | Stéphane Dion, Liberal | |
| Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Québécois | Jack Layton, NDP | |
| Elizabeth May, Green | ||
Two debates took place during the 2008 election. The French language debate was on October 1 from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. EDT and was moderated by Stéphan Bureau. The English language debate was held the following evening, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. EDT, and was moderated by Steve Paikin. Both were held at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.[3] The timing of the English debate, at exactly the same time as the previously-scheduled U.S. vice presidential debate, means that Canadian networks did not have to preempt any popular simulcast American programming in order to carry the domestic broadcast. Sources close to the consortium reported that this was indeed a key motivation for choosing the October 2 date.[4]
The five participants were Conservative leader and incumbent prime minister Stephen Harper, Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, NDP leader Jack Layton, Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May.
The consortium had originally announced that the Greens would again be excluded from the debates, despite securing sitting MP Blair Wilson as the Greens' first MP just prior to dissolution. Two parties, the Conservatives and the NDP, opposed the inclusion of the Green Party, citing a deal struck between the Green Party and Liberals where the Liberals would not run in Green Party leader Elizabeth May's riding, Central Nova, and the Green party in Liberal leader Stéphane Dion's riding, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville. Stephen Harper and Jack Layton said that if the Green Party were included, they would not participate in the Leaders' Debates. Dion said that while he supports May's inclusion, he would not attend if the prime minister does not, and the Bloc Québécois said it never threatened to boycott the debates.[5] The media consortium in charge of the debate decided that it would prefer to broadcast the debates with the four major party leaders, rather than risk not at all. The Green Party indicated they would lodge a formal complaint with the CRTC.[6][7] Tony Burman, a former CBC News Chief and Chair of the Network Consortium called the process "a sham" and called for an independent body to govern the debates.[1]
A considerable public outcry resulted, with extensive coverage on TV, radio, and websites.[8] The NDP leader in particular came under pressure from his own members and supporters.[9] Former prime minister Joe Clark called for May to be included.[10] On September 10, the Conservatives and NDP announced they no longer opposed May's participation; shortly thereafter, the consortium invited May to participate.[11]
The following format was to be followed for the 2008 debates:[12]
The parties and the consortium later agreed to allot additional time to the economy because of the 2008 global economic crisis. The opening and closing statements have been eliminated.[13]
Pursuant to draws held on September 19, the following order was used for the debates:[12]
| Language | Order of: | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French | Responses to first question | Conservative | Liberal | Green | Bloc | NDP |
| Post-debate scrums | Bloc | Conservative | Liberal | Green | NDP | |
| English | Responses to first question | Green | Liberal | Conservative | NDP | Bloc |
| Post-debate scrums | Liberal | Green | Bloc | NDP | Conservative |
| Party leaders and participants | |
|---|---|
| Stephen Harper, Conservative | Michael Ignatieff, Liberal |
| Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Québécois | Jack Layton, NDP |
Two debates took place during the 2011 election. The English language debate was held on April 12, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. EDT, and was moderated by Steve Paikin. The French language debate was held on April 13 from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. EDT and was co-moderated by Paul Larocque and Anne-Marie Dussault. Both were held at the Government Conference Centre in Ottawa.[14] The original timing of the French debate, which after it was chosen became in conflict with a Montreal Canadiens Playoff hockey game, and as a result was moved ahead by one night. The four participants in both debates were Conservative leader and incumbent prime minister Stephen Harper, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, NDP leader Jack Layton, and Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe. Green Party leader Elizabeth May was excluded from the debate by the media consortium, as her party did not have representation in the House of Commons. [15]
The English debate was best known for Layton's attack on Ignatieff for having the worst House of Commons attendance record of any of the party leaders. Layton said “You know, most Canadians, if they don’t show up for work, they don’t get a promotion." This quote has been compared to Brian Mulroney's “You had a choice, sir! You could have said no” rebuttal to John Napier Turner.[16]