The Leaders’ Debates Commission caved to a far-right intimidation campaign and must resign

The Leaders’ Debates Commission has failed Canada for the last time. 

First, they undermined their own importance by rescheduling for a hockey game. Second, they banned the Greens — a national party — for not having enough candidates, while still allowing the Bloc. Third, they allowed far-right activists to dominate the French debate’s press scrum.

Then they cancelled the English debate’s press scrum because Ezra Levant and his far-right trolls attempted to hijack a CBC broadcast and got into shouting matches with actual journalists.

The debates commission should have only ended the event for Levant, Rebel News and any other far-right activists masquerading as journalists, since they were — by all accounts — the only people being deliberately disruptive. (Incidentally, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre was Levant’s communications director when Levant ran for office in 2002, and Levant was reportedly Poilievre’s mentor at the time.)

Worse, it now seems that the commission didn’t vet Levant, who has registered both Rebel News and ForCanada as third-party advertisers engaged in partisan activities. 

The far-right has a history of deliberate provocation and disruption. It appears that cancelling the scrum may have been their intent, as they are now attempting to reframe the narrative, claiming they were the ones who were cancelled. 

The commission caved in to a far-right intimidation campaign, failed Canadians and undermined democracy. It was disgraceful. The entire organization needs to resign.

The Leaders’ Debates Commission caved to a far-right intimidation campaign and must resign

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