Wynne is right to call for Green inclusion in election debates

Televised debates are crucial to raising public awareness during election campaigns. In Ontario, organizing those debates falls to a broadcast consortium consisting of CBC, CTV, Global, TVO, CPAC and CHCH.

You would think the broadcasters, especially the ones who receive public funding (CBC and TVO) would want the debates in the upcoming election to be as representative as possible. But you’d be wrong.

Last week the consortium announced that only the Liberals, PCs and NDP would take part. The rationale is that the debates are open “to all party leaders running candidates in all Ontario ridings that currently have an elected MPP sitting in the provincial legislature.” The first part of that, stating parties must be running candidates in all ridings, is fine. A party that isn’t organized enough to muster candidates in all ridings isn’t really a credible option to the so-called Big Three.

The second part of that justification is not fine, because it excludes the Green Party. That is wrong on a number of fronts. The Greens don’t have a sitting MPP, but they do have federal representation through Elizabeth May and they actually have a role in government through their coalition with the British Columbia NDP. Green politicians have been elected in numerous jurisdictions around the world. In Ontario, the Greens have enough voter support that they receive a public taxpayer subsidy of $630,000. The party had eight per cent voter support in 2007. That dropped afterward, but in 2014 they attracted about five per cent and currently they are polling at about eight per cent.

By any reasonable measure, the Greens are the fourth party in this province. That sets them apart from fringe parties like the Trillium Party, the Communist Party and the None of the Above party. There are something like 18 of those, but none comes close to the voter support enjoyed by the Greens, so no others get public dollars.

If for no other reason than the half-million-dollar subsidy, the Greens should be invited to take part in televised election debates. They are supported by taxpayers and should be called upon to publicly demonstrate their worthiness to receive that support.

But there are other reasons. The Green movement is growing and has a broad base. Under provincial leader Mike Schreiner, the party has a full platform that deals with a range of issues, not just the environment.

Premier Kathleen Wynne recognizes all this, and has called on the consortium to reverse its initial decision and include the Greens. She is the only major party leader to push for inclusion. Interestingly, NDP leader Andrea Horwath and populist front-running PC leader Doug Ford haven’t joined in the call. They should, or at least offer an explanation for wanting to exclude the Greens.

Ontario’s Green Party has met the minimum standard to receive public financial support. It should meet the broadcast consortium’s minimum standard for inclusion in televised debates, as well.

If for no other reason than the half-milliondollar subsidy, the Greens should be invited to take part in televised election debates. They are supported by taxpayers and should be called upon to publicly demonstrate their worthiness to receive that support.