Setting the Stage for the Next Debates

In Ottawa there is some discussion about what should be the terms for the next federal election debates. Canada has no regulation, as far as I am aware, regarding our national debates leading into a federal election. A gentleman's agreement of sorts was what governed how debates operated in this country. A media consortium worked together with the political parties to set the terms of the debates. 

For many years this system seemed adequate. I don't think Canadians were particularly engaged by the debates, but nor were they poorly served by them. In the 2000s, in the minority years, the public got to see politicians perform on equal footing and were well moderated by skilled journalists such as Steve Paikin. However, in the last federal election the Conservatives blew up the traditional consensus and offered to do debates with any number of media organization and in different formats.

In the 2015 federal election the Conservatives threatened to upend this system and the status quo. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to withdraw from convention meant that we were poised to confront a reality wherein Canadians would have no debate as a platform to judge the candidates. Luckily some did manage to occur, but far fewer Canadians saw them than in previous years.

The Liberal government is exploring the idea of creating a commission for debates and enshrining it in law. Very few details are fixed as of yet, but there are some interesting ideas on the table. Financial penalties could be imposed to compel/encourage participation. The leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May (GPC - Saanich-Gulf Islands, BC), has been leading in suggesting how parties/leaders should qualify to debate. She has suggested that participating parties have to have two of the three following criteria: a) received 4% or more of the national vote in the previous election, b) have an elected member of the House of Commons under that party's banner, c) be running candidates in most (or nearly all) of the country's 338 ridings.

All things considered it is a pretty reasonable benchmark to start with. Such a standard would allow the Green Part and the Bloc Quebecois to join the NDP, Liberals and Conservatives in the next federal leaders' debate. Unsurprisingly, the system isn't perfect. This would have excluded other parties from entering the debate that have in the past, such as the Reform Party.

With democracies under strain I think there is a good argument to look at formalizing institutions like this and strengthening them. The practice of a leaders' debate is an important part of the Canadian election cycle. We should never have to worry again if we can see our leaders answer questions and explain their policies as a group. While hardly perfect on its own I think that is something work protecting and building upon, if nothing else.