Green Party Disqualified from Federal Leaders' Debates

The Green Party has been disqualified from participating in the federal leaders' debates scheduled for today and tomorrow, ahead of Canada’s April 28 election. The decision was made by the Leaders' Debate Commission, the government agency responsible for organizing the French and English debates.

According to the commission, the Green Party failed to meet the minimum participation requirements. The party reportedly reduced the number of its candidates contesting the federal election, thereby falling short of the eligibility criteria.

The Green Party initially submitted a list of 343 candidates in March. However, Elections Canada has confirmed that only 232 Green candidates are officially running, covering just 68 percent of federal ridings. The commission’s rules require parties to have candidates in at least 90 percent of constituencies to qualify for the debates.

The Green Party has also recently withdrawn candidates from select ridings where it believes doing so could help prevent a Conservative win.