It's the Networks' Choice

Many people are outraged at the fact that Elizabeth May is being excluded from the TV debates. My co-blogger went so far as to call it "undemocratic" and "unfair" for the TV consortium not to have invited the leader of the Greens to the debate. While my co-blogger is right on both accounts, democracy and justice has nothing to do with the decision.

The TV networks making up the broadcast consortium are: CBC-Radio-Canada, CTV, Global and TVA. While CBC is a Crown Corporation, none of these companies participate in government. None of them are chosen by election. They have the right to decide who to include and who not to include and accept the consequences in ratings. There is no law against excluding a political leader from a debate nor should there.

While the networks might be wrong about excluding Elizabeth May from the debates, it is not up to us, anyone or anything to force them to accept the Green leader. She can file a formal complaint with the consortium or organize debates on whatever network she chooses.

The organizer sets the rules and suffers the consequences. That's how it has been and will always be.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is once again getting shut out of the televised debates, but she is already rallying her troops for a fight and finding some unlikely allies. 

“I feel as though I’m absolutely in a state of shock,” May said Tuesday night from Victoria, B.C. “It’s not what I expected. I thought we resolved this issue in the 2008 election campaign.”

Read more at the Toronto Star.

Related articles

• May not welcome in leaders' debates: networks (cbc.ca)
• Elizabeth May excluded from election debates (theglobeandmail.com)