Liberal blogger James Bowie recently did a telephone interview with Liberal leadership contender Stéphane Dion. One question posed by Bowie was whether Dion supported May's wish to participate in the next televised leaders' debate, to which he replied that he would not be the person to stand in her way.
An audio clip of the interview can be downloaded here.
Not exactly the most enthusiastic of responses, but it's a start.
If Dion becomes head Grit next month, you can be certain he'll be held to this statement, and will be expected to support May's ability to participate.
Clearly, it's in the best interests of Canadian democracy.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Stéphane Dion: I won't block Elizabeth May from televised debates
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Former Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris made the following response:
This is interesting -- for a few reasons:
1) It implies that in the behind the scenes in 2004 and 2006 the Liberals have been "blocking" the Greens from being in the debates.
In 2004 election there was a CBC aired program The Great Canadian Job Interview where leaders of the political parties were put in a "job interview." The event was aimed at youth, ostensibly "designed" by sponsoring youth groups, the audience was filled with youth, and the program was marketed to youth groups. When youth groups wanted the Greens included they were told the old line parties would not participate if they we were included. The groups then had to decide whether they wanted no program and no focus on youth issues in the campaign or excluding the party that has the highest youth support relative to overall support. Hmmm. A story that never got out in 2004.
2) So my question to Dion would be: Great! Thanks. But what about one statement stronger -- that as leader of the Liberals he (Dion) would not take part in a debate unless Elizabeth May is included.
Here in London, Glen Pearson, the Liberal candidate in London Fanshaw in 2006 did just that -- with Don Newman's show Politics Today on CBC Newsworld. The debate was on Friday and the CBC told Glen the day before that our candidate, Dave McLaughlin, was going to be excluded, because there were not enough microphones at the Western studio for the Green Party to be included!! Can you believe how lame an excuse that is? (Or maybe it's just that those cuts to the CBC are really, really, really bad.)
So Glen refused to particiapte. So Don Newman's show changed the format: the show producers invited a Conservative from one of the three London ridings, a Liberal from another, and an NDPer from the third.
So the debate went ahead without Dave McLaughlin or Glen Pearson. Impressive for Pearson to stand up -- and of course he got a lot of heat from the Liberal party machinery for doing so. It seems the party machinery in every old line party feels that party loyalty to the machinery comes ahead of democratic principles.
http://blog.greenparty.ca/en/node/189
It's all well and good for Dion to say that he won't stand in the way, but from what I understand, he doesn't really have a say anyways. Isn't it the media execs who make the decision (supposedly based on years of history of no party participating unless they first have an MP)?
I suppose if, like Devon said, the large party leaders say that they won't participate unless the Greens are allowed, it might make a difference, but somehow I don't see that happening.
Crossing my fingers that Elizabeth May wins in London!
only a nutty Lib leader would block the Green since they will split the vote that would otherwise go to the NDP, especially since the enviro-monetarist Harris is gone.
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