Green Party of Canada - Sign the Petition

Once again a consortium of Canadian broadcasters is excluding the Green Party from the leaders debate in the run up to the 2006 federal election. This is not right. Why should a party that is fielding a candidate in every riding and captured over 3% of the votes in the 2004 election not be heard? How can they take second place to a party that only has candidates in one province?

For some unknown reason, the consortium keeps changing the criteria they use to determine who gets this valuable air time. The Green Party suggests a simple formula that is based on a federally accepted criterion. Bill C-24 has created public funding for any party that gains over 2% of the vote.

"Any party that achieves over 2 per cent of the vote is receiving federal money. Based on this formula, the Green Party receives over $1 million dollars per year. Why is it that taxpayers can finance a political party, but are not able to see or hear them in the leaders’ debate? "

Read the background and the Green Party argument. Then, if you agree that Jim Harris should be included in this important broadcast, sign the Green Party petition and tell your friends to do the same.

This whole debate would of course take on a different complexion if our representatives were elected by proportional representation. The Green party would have 13 MP's sitting in Ottawa, and that would dismiss the arguments that only parties with sitting members should take part in the televised debate.

However you plan to vote in January, if your care about democracy in Canada, sign the petition now.


Related blogs and posts:
Dufferin Caledon Greens
electJim.ca
CALL TO ACTION: Green Party not in Debate


Tags: Canada, Politics, green party, elections,
debate, Democracy, proportional representation