The Leaders’ Debates Commission has disqualified the Green Party of Canada from participating in the official federal leaders’ debates, citing failure to meet the minimum candidate participation requirement due to what it described as a “strategic decision” to scale back the party’s national slate.
Initially approved to join both the French and English-language debates, the Greens were removed after Elections Canada confirmed the party is running candidates in only 232 out of 343 ridings — representing roughly 68 per cent of all federal constituencies, well below the 90 per cent threshold required by the Commission.
“Deliberately reducing the number of candidates running for strategic reasons is inconsistent with the Commission’s interpretation of party viability,” said the Commission in a statement released Wednesday. “The inclusion of the leader of the Green Party of Canada in these circumstances would undermine the integrity of the debates and the interests of the voting public.”
The removal comes despite the party initially meeting two of the three eligibility criteria — having an elected MP and submitting a full candidate list to the Commission in March. However, co-leader Jonathan Pedneault told that the party withdrew approximately 15 candidates in ridings they believed were safe Conservative seats, in what he called a “strategic decision.”
That move, paired with broader candidate shortages, left the party well short of the required representation across the country. Pedneault also cited volunteer “intimidation” and nomination signature verification problems as contributing factors.
“Whether or not the Green Party intended to run 343 candidates, it has since made the strategic decision to reduce the number of candidates running,” the Commission added. “That means voters no longer have the opportunity to vote for those candidates.”
Rod Leggett, a Green Party spokesperson, said the party experienced a higher-than-usual number of local issues with Elections Canada returning officers, particularly around the verification of nomination signatures. Candidates must secure 100 verified signatures from electors in their ridings to officially register, and delays or inconsistencies at the local level may have hindered the process.
While Elections Canada has acknowledged receiving concerns from the Greens and is looking into the nomination process, a spokesperson confirmed that the candidate list is now final and that timeline constraints may have played a role.
The setback is significant for the Greens, who had hoped to use the national debate stage to amplify their platform and capitalize on a renewed push for climate action and electoral reform. With the official leaders’ debates scheduled just days before the April 28 election, the party will now be absent from the primary televised forums that help shape voter opinion.
The Leaders’ Debates Commission reiterated that its criteria are designed to reflect party viability and ensure that the debate stage remains focused on those with broad, national support and representation.