Canadian Politics - Debate This!
Yesterday I wrote my first in a series of planned posts commenting on the state of politics in Canada and the upcoming federal election.
My planned topic for today was Democracy 'inaction' as the federal leaders REFUSE to debate the Green Party Leader.
For years now (at least the previous three elections) the various federal leaders have refused to allow the Green Party of Canada to participate in the Leader Debates. This time around was no different, except that the plan backfired horribly.
A consortium of broadcasters decides on the format of the debates and when and where they will be held. What happened yesterday was that Jack Layton of the NDP and Stephen Harper of the Conservatives informed the consortium that if Elizabeth May of the Green Party was allowed to participate in the debates they would walk away from the debate.
Instead of calling their bluff, the consortium folded to their petty bullshit and agreed to ban the Green Party from the debates.
Now just to complete the picture - Stephane Dion, the Liberal Leader said he would welcome the Green Parties participation, but also said that if Harper was not going to participate he was out as well.
Giles Duceppe of the The Bloc Quebecois party basically stayed out it as well he should since he doesn't have a leg to stand on in denying the Green Party access to the debates.
First getting back to Mr. Harper's 'reasons' for denying the Green's inclusion in the debates was summed up by saying that it would essentially be allowing a second "Liberal" candidate in the debate.
Personally I think Harper is afraid of a number of things.
1) The Conservatives weakest link is their environmental record. Harper can attack the Liberals and the NDP on economic issues and steer down play environmental issues. With the Greens and Elizabeth May's environmental conviction is going to be hard to debate against.
2) The Greens platform actually tends to be right of centre and is more conservative on issues than the Conservatives themselves. I can't point to anything specific right now since I haven't read the current platform of either party, but I know when I looked into a couple of years ago I was surprised how fiscally responsible and conservative the Greens are. Harper is afraid of lending legitimacy to the Green movement and giving a voice to their platform.
3) I think on some level Harper doesn't want to go toe to toe with a female candidate in a debate. Harper has been trying to remake his image as an easy going family man and one of "us". I think he may be afraid of showing his true colours coming across as a bully in the debates.
The argument for allowing Elizabeth May into the debates was huge. For starters the Greens represent a national party that has run candidates in all ridings in previous elections, unlike the Bloc which is a regional party based in Quebec. The Greens garnered 5% of the popular vote last election and have been polling between 7 and 10% of the vote this time around.
Anyhow in the 24 hrs since the shit hit the fan yesterday a number of things have happened. The most impressive of which was that the average Canadian on the street has stood up and said regardless of their political leanings they think Elizabeth May and the Greens should be allowed in. Influential Canadians have taken to the press and media to denounce the decisions to exclude her and rightly called out our bully of a PM and the NDP Jack Layton for this scandalous backroom deal.
Former PM Joe Clark wrote this opinion piece Let Elizabeth May speak in today's Globe and Mail which sums it up nicely.
Also in the Globe and Mail - Judy Rebick, a Canadian journalist, political activist, and former president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, wrote a Letter to the Editor calling out Jack Layton of the NDP for denying Elizabeth May a voice.
Her letter is here - Barbarians and the gate
The upside of all this attention is that both Harper and Layton have backed down and reversed their objections to allowing Elizabeth May a voice.
Should be an interesting debate. I think Harper has underestimated the desire of the average Canadian to have a fair and democratic process in Canada. Hopefully that will shows itself at the polls as well in October.
My planned topic for today was Democracy 'inaction' as the federal leaders REFUSE to debate the Green Party Leader.
For years now (at least the previous three elections) the various federal leaders have refused to allow the Green Party of Canada to participate in the Leader Debates. This time around was no different, except that the plan backfired horribly.
A consortium of broadcasters decides on the format of the debates and when and where they will be held. What happened yesterday was that Jack Layton of the NDP and Stephen Harper of the Conservatives informed the consortium that if Elizabeth May of the Green Party was allowed to participate in the debates they would walk away from the debate.
Instead of calling their bluff, the consortium folded to their petty bullshit and agreed to ban the Green Party from the debates.
Now just to complete the picture - Stephane Dion, the Liberal Leader said he would welcome the Green Parties participation, but also said that if Harper was not going to participate he was out as well.
Giles Duceppe of the The Bloc Quebecois party basically stayed out it as well he should since he doesn't have a leg to stand on in denying the Green Party access to the debates.
First getting back to Mr. Harper's 'reasons' for denying the Green's inclusion in the debates was summed up by saying that it would essentially be allowing a second "Liberal" candidate in the debate.
Personally I think Harper is afraid of a number of things.
1) The Conservatives weakest link is their environmental record. Harper can attack the Liberals and the NDP on economic issues and steer down play environmental issues. With the Greens and Elizabeth May's environmental conviction is going to be hard to debate against.
2) The Greens platform actually tends to be right of centre and is more conservative on issues than the Conservatives themselves. I can't point to anything specific right now since I haven't read the current platform of either party, but I know when I looked into a couple of years ago I was surprised how fiscally responsible and conservative the Greens are. Harper is afraid of lending legitimacy to the Green movement and giving a voice to their platform.
3) I think on some level Harper doesn't want to go toe to toe with a female candidate in a debate. Harper has been trying to remake his image as an easy going family man and one of "us". I think he may be afraid of showing his true colours coming across as a bully in the debates.
The argument for allowing Elizabeth May into the debates was huge. For starters the Greens represent a national party that has run candidates in all ridings in previous elections, unlike the Bloc which is a regional party based in Quebec. The Greens garnered 5% of the popular vote last election and have been polling between 7 and 10% of the vote this time around.
Anyhow in the 24 hrs since the shit hit the fan yesterday a number of things have happened. The most impressive of which was that the average Canadian on the street has stood up and said regardless of their political leanings they think Elizabeth May and the Greens should be allowed in. Influential Canadians have taken to the press and media to denounce the decisions to exclude her and rightly called out our bully of a PM and the NDP Jack Layton for this scandalous backroom deal.
Former PM Joe Clark wrote this opinion piece Let Elizabeth May speak in today's Globe and Mail which sums it up nicely.
Also in the Globe and Mail - Judy Rebick, a Canadian journalist, political activist, and former president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, wrote a Letter to the Editor calling out Jack Layton of the NDP for denying Elizabeth May a voice.
Her letter is here - Barbarians and the gate
The upside of all this attention is that both Harper and Layton have backed down and reversed their objections to allowing Elizabeth May a voice.
Should be an interesting debate. I think Harper has underestimated the desire of the average Canadian to have a fair and democratic process in Canada. Hopefully that will shows itself at the polls as well in October.