The head of Canada’s Leaders’ Debates Commission has proposed ceasing the organization of post-debate news conferences and plans to revise its process for selecting invited leaders following a controversial leadership debate earlier this year. Michel Cormier, the commission’s executive director, presented recommendations from a recent report on the 2025 federal leadership debates to a committee of MPs. The commission hosted two leadership debates during the April federal election, with Cormier acknowledging that while the debates themselves went smoothly, a convergence of issues led to controversy surrounding the events.
Cormier admitted to shortcomings and expressed the commission’s commitment to addressing these issues. A news conference scheduled after the English-language debate was abruptly canceled, with concerns arising from the dominance of questions from Rebel News and other right-wing media outlets during the French debate the previous night. Tensions escalated in the media room prior to the English debate, with a heated exchange between a Hill Times reporter and a Rebel News representative prompting the commission to bring in additional RCMP security and ultimately cancel the question-and-answer session due to concerns about the atmosphere in the room.
The commission had previously faced scrutiny for accrediting certain media outlets, including Rebel News, which engaged in legal challenges during the 2019 and 2021 elections to obtain accreditation. Although the commission opted not to pursue another legal challenge over accreditation this spring, Cormier revealed that he was unaware of Rebel News Network Ltd.’s registration as a third-party advocacy group with Elections Canada before the English debate, indicating that this knowledge might have influenced accreditation decisions.
During the committee meeting, Cormier disclosed that while the commission would retain responsibility for media accreditation for the debates, party leaders would be encouraged to conduct their own news scrums if desired. Additionally, controversy arose prior to the debates regarding the initial inclusion of the Green Party, prompting calls for the commission to reassess its criteria for inviting leaders.
Notably, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault was excluded from both debates just hours before the first broadcast for failing to meet participation requirements set by the commission. Parties must satisfy two of three criteria to receive an invitation, including having a sitting MP elected under the party banner, garnering at least four percent national support in opinion polls, and endorsing candidates in 90 percent of all ridings 28 days before the election. The Greens submitted a list of endorsed candidates early in the campaign, but a significant portion failed to finalize their nominations with Elections Canada.
Cormier stated that the commission would now await the confirmed candidate list from Elections Canada before assessing compliance with the criteria, reflecting on the need to use the finalized Elections Canada list despite concerns about the timeline for debate organization. He emphasized that the debates themselves were successful, drawing larger viewership compared to previous elections while reducing costs incurred for hosting the events. The commission, established in 2019 to oversee federal leadership debates, aims to implement changes following the 2025 debates to enhance future proceedings.