The Leaders' Debates Commission has issued rules for the English and French-language leaders' debates to be held in the next federal election campaign.
The commission — a government agency created in 2018 to organize federal leaders' debates — said a leader of a registered political party can only participate if he meets at least two of the three criteria.
The first requirement is that on the day the election is called, the MP elected under the party's banner must be represented in the House of Representatives.
The rules prohibit party leaders from claiming that they followed the rules if only one of their members or members changed parties during a parliamentary session.
The second criterion is that the leader's party must receive the support of at least four percent of the voters 28 days before the polling day.
The commission said voting intentions would be determined using the most recent results from “leading national opinion polling organizations.”
The third requirement is that a party must have endorsed candidates in at least 90 percent of federal ridings across Canada 28 days before a federal election.
To meet this requirement, the party's principal agent is required to submit a list of candidates approved in federal ridings 28 days after the election.
After reviewing the results of the 2021 Census, Elections Canada has announced that the number of seats will increase from 338 to 343 in the 2025 federal election.
Commission says rules 'simple, clear, objective and measurable'
If at least two criteria are met, the commission will invite the party leaders to participate in the debate 27 days before the election.
“These criteria are felt to be balanced and have the potential for electoral success,” Michel Cormier, executive director of the Commission on Leaders' Debate, said in a statement.
“They measure both electability and viability, and they serve the public interest and the voting public by ensuring that the leaders invited to the debate stage represent the current picture of the country's political forces at play during the next general election,” added Cormier. .
“They are simple, clear, objective and measurable.”
The Commission sought suggestions from the parties represented in the House before issuing the rules. It also reached out to 30 debate organizers from North America, Europe and the world to compare notes.
In October, the commission announced that unlike the 2021 debate, where journalists were allowed to ask questions of the leaders, the next debate will be limited to a single moderator and the leaders themselves.
The CBC/Radio-Canada Debate Selection Commission has appointed longtime TVO journalist Steve Paquin to host the English-language debate and Radio Canada's Patrice Roy to host the French-language debate.
Both Paquin and Roy have hosted leaders' debates in the past.
Other broadcasters and media organizations can distribute the debate for free on their platforms, the commission said.
