OTTAWA –
The Conservative Party of Canada’s plan to host a third leadership debate in August may be in tatters, with one candidate refusing to attend and another pondering whether it’s really necessary.
The campaign for Pierre Poilievre announced on Thursday that the deputy for a long time will not participate in the debate, facing the consequences of a heavy fine.
Jenni Byrne, a senior member of Poilievre’s team, posted a scathing statement on Twitter explaining her decision after the party announced earlier in the day that it would proceed with a debate in early August.
Conservative party rules state that candidates must take part in official leadership debates or face an “automatic penalty of $50,000”.
“Participation is mandatory and no substitution will be allowed,” according to the regulations.
Byrne’s statement noted that Poilievre participated in the first two official debates in May, plus one by the Strong and Free Canada Network, an organization that promotes the conservative movement.
He also criticized the English-language debate held in Edmonton for featuring sound effects and a series of questions about the candidates’ taste in music and television.
“It wasn’t the campaign’s fault that the party’s Edmonton debate was widely recognized as an embarrassment. The candidates were given ping-pong paddles to hold when they wanted to speak. It was more of a game show than a debate.” says the statement. .
“And it happened despite strong warnings to the party about both the moderator and the format, all of which were ignored.”
The debate was hosted by former political reporter Tom Clark, whom Poilievre’s campaign criticized as a “Laurentine elite liberal media personality.”
A request for comment from Clark has not yet been returned.
Party spokesman Yaroslav Baran said he understands “there are multiple views on the debates held so far” and stressed that the rules of the race say attendance is mandatory.
Byrne’s statement said the plan for another debate comes as Poilievre’s campaign works to win the vote among Conservative members. The deputy boasts of having sold nearly 312,000 members, a number that the party headquarters will not verify. This is more than the total number of members the party had when Erin O’Toole was appointed leader in 2020.
The party said a record number of people — some 675,000 — signed up for membership ahead of the vote.
Members have until early September to return their ballots before the results are presented in Ottawa on September 10. Voting is now underway, and most ballots have been mailed out.
Poilievre’s campaign continues to attack his leadership partner Jean Charest’s repeated calls for a third debate, saying the former Quebec premier failed to draw the same size crowd as Poilievre in the spring, when candidates were selling membership to the followers
“That’s why he wants another debate: to use Pierre’s popularity among members to get an audience he can’t get on his own.”
In response, Charest’s campaign accused Poilievre of preferring to craft messages on social media “than answer questions in real time.”
“Jean has NEVER shied away from answering difficult questions,” he says, adding that he found the format of the French-language debate held in Laval, Que., constructive.
Leslyn Lewis, a Social Conservative MP from Ontario who is also running, said party members had a chance to see the leadership candidates present their visions for the country in the previous two debates, which remain online.
“I am not sure what value we are giving members through a rushed calendar debate at this time,” she said in a statement.
Like Poilievre, Lewis stressed it’s an important stage of the race for candidates to meet members and says he has a busy calendar.
“I’ve found that the concerns of everyday Canadians vary greatly from the high-level policy questions we’re asked during official debates,” he said.
“The issues facing rural Canadians have not been represented in the debates that have taken place.”
As for whether he plans to run, his campaign says he is in discussions with the party.
In addition to Charest, candidates Scott Aitchison, a rural Ontario MP, and Roman Baber, a former Ontario legislator, had also expressed hope for another debate.
Poilievre’s decision to skip the event means there will be not one, but at least two less candidates on stage, given the recent disqualification of Patrick Brown over an allegation that he may have violated federal election laws.
Brown has denied the allegation.
Nor is it the first time during the race that the planning of a debate has been left aside.
Poilievre declined to participate in an unofficial while the candidates were at the Calgary Stampede.
The Independent Press Gallery, an organization representing various media outlets and journalists, also announced it had to cancel a planned debate because not enough candidates confirmed they would attend.
The party’s leadership election organizing committee says it decided Wednesday evening to go ahead with a third official debate after polling members last week. About 24,000 responded.
“The response was overwhelmingly favorable,” Baran said.
Although officials and campaigns have only a few weeks to plan the event, the campaigns were told early in the race that their candidates could be called to a debate in early August at the party’s discretion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 21, 2022.