Let Green leader into televised debates

Stephane Dion says that Elizabeth May should be allowed into the televised leaders' debates.

Full story here.

"I don't see why not," he said when asked whether May should be allowed to take part.

"I don't agree with her about everything," Dion added. "I'm pleased to be in a party that has a long experience about combining different goals. We're not a one-issue party."

He's referred to the Green Party as a "one-issue" party before and he knows better. As I've said before, the Green Party of Canada has policies and a platform that covers all issues, and a strategy for implementing them that considers the immediate and long term consequences. When Dion says the Greens are only about one issue, he shows that either he doesn't understand the Green Party or he's just trying to tell Canadians to dismiss the Green Party because he says the Greens don't have a platform or policies that cover other areas.

If Elizabeth May is allowed into the leaders debates Canadians will find out that the Green party is ready, willing and able to bring positive change to government.

The environment is now the single most important issue on the minds of Canadians, and while the Green Party has policies on all issues, making environmental policy work for Canadians is a specialty. Recent polls show that Canadians understand this, with the Green Party at over 10% nationally.

One in every 22 Canadians who voted in the last federal election – 665,940 voters – cast their ballot for the Green Party.

Voters have a right to hear where ALL the major parties stand on the issues. That’s one of the cornerstones of democracy – an informed electorate.

As far as vote quantity goes, the next highest after the Green Party was 'Independent' with 76,696 votes, about one tenth the amount the Green Party received.

As far as percentages go, the next highest federal party after the Green Party had only zero point two percent.

I've heard some people say that if the Green party is included in the televised debates during the next election, we'd have to include all federal parties. Unfortunately for democracy the networks have the authority to say who's included and who's not, and in the end they have the authority decide to let only the Green Party be added, based on information including the above information.

There have been times in the past when other major federal parties had few or no seats in parliament, yet they were not ignored. With rising support, national interest, and your tax dollars helping to fund the federal parties including the Greens, why not let the Green Party have it's voice heard?

For more on this subject go to Demand Democratic Debates

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