Quebec Liberal leader asks media consortium to reschedule English-language debate
Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade has made a plea to the English-language media consortium to reschedule its election debate, writing in a Friday letter that such events are "essential" to democracy.
Party leaders were invited to participate in an English-language debate, initially planned for Sept. 20, by a media consortium of several Quebec English-language outlets, including CTV News.
However, the consortium decided to cancel the event after Premier Francois Legault's CAQ party refused to participate, citing a lack of time to prepare.
The Parti Quebecois also refused to participate on principle, with party leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon writing to social media that "the official and common language in Quebec is French."
"The goal was to allow all Quebecers to hear the party leaders discuss, debate and question their vision and priorities for Quebec and help all voters make an informed choice," the coalition said in a statement.
"Without the participation of all the main party leaders, the English-language media consortium representatives agree it would not be a fair and informative exercise. As a result, there will be no English-language party leaders debate in this election campaign."
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade asks media consortium to reschedule English-language debate
Anglade says her party, which has traditionally been popular with English-speaking communities, was disappointed to learn the debate was cancelled.
"These debates allow Quebec electors to head to the polling station with an understanding of the parties’ different positions," she wrote in the letter posted to social media.
"Because of this, these debates play an essential role in the democratic process."
Instead of calling it off outright, Anglade proposed rescheduling it "between June and election day so that each leader has the necessary time to prepare for it."
"At the end of the day, we want to make sure that those debates happen for people to know exactly what each party has to offer," she said in a Friday interview on CJAD 800.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.