Green Party going to court after being dropped from election debates

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault walks out the door after holding a press conference in Montreal on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

OTTAWA — The Green Party of Canada says it’s going to court to challenge the Leaders’ Debates Commission’s decision to drop the party from this year’s election debates.

In a news release issued Thursday, the party calls the decision “unfair.”

When it made its decision, the commission said the Green party had not met the bar by fulfilling two of three conditions for participation: having candidates in 90 per cent of ridings, polling at four per cent support 28 days before election day and having at least one sitting MP at dissolution.

Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May said this was a “misunderstanding” and rejected the claim that her party had made a “strategic decision” not to nominate candidates in certain ridings.

In its Federal Court submission seeking judicial review of the decision, the Green party says it wants the court to declare that the commission violated principles of procedural fairness and that the decision was unreasonable.

The party also requests that the commission forward a copy of documents it considered in reaching its decision.

In its application, the party argues that the number of confirmed candidates was lower than the number of endorsed candidates due to “unusual challenges” in securing signatures. It said challenges included “heightened levels of generalized hostility towards perceived splitting of the progressive vote” and bullying of volunteers.

The party says a handful of candidates withdrew their candidacy to avoid splitting the vote.

The document says the party’s national campaign director explained to the commission that the Green Party had “not made a decision to strategically pull candidates.”

After a back-and-forth between the party and the commission, the Greens learned on the morning of the French-language debate that the party had been officially disinvited to the events. The party says its podium was removed from the CBC studio before the commission issued its decision. It also says third parties were told about the decision before it was shared with the Green Party.

The commission came under fire over several controversial calls during debate week -- including its decision to change the start time of the French debate due to a hockey game and its cancellation of scrums with reporters after the English language debate.

This report by Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press, was first published April 24, 2025.