The so-called media 'consortium' that decided today NOT to allow Green Party leader Elizabeth May into the leader's debates should reconsider. If in 2008 the Green Party cannot break into mainstream Canadian politics, then it will likely never be. When has the environment ever been such talked-about, high-profile topic? The answer is never. Global warming and climate change are gigantic issues and the Greens speak directly to those voters who see them as paramount. With neither of the two dominant parties having done much of anything on this front for years, it is completely acceptable to allow another party their chance to campaign on the environment.
The Green Party of Canada ran a full slate of candidates (308) in 2006 and will run another full slate (minus 1, as per the agreement with Liberal leader Dion) this time around. That's much more than the Bloq Quebecois ever runs. In fact, the BQ has never run more than 75 candidates since they only run in Quebec, yet they are routinely included in the national leader's debate. This leads to the absurd situation where millions of Canadians are watching a leader debate for whom they cannot ever vote for. The Greens, however, are a national party. They received nearly 4.5% of the vote last election and now have a sitting member of Parliament in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast MP Blair Wilson. In fact, as May points out, it was the existence of the one lone Bloc MP that helped then-BQ leader Lucien Bouchard nap a spot in the leader's debate in the 1993 election. With 5% of the vote, a sitting MP member, and an central issue that has never been so pressing or so palpable, the time is right for the Green Party to enter the leader's debate. Let Elizabeth May in.
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