A couple of years ago I was on one of my editorial green rants - probably in support of Gordon Campbell's carbon tax - when one of the news-room wags sent me an e-mail asking if I was being held captive in David Suzuki's basement. A curious question, I'd always thought Suzuki lived in a solar-powered yurt somewhere up in the Pemberton Valley.
But I got the point, which was move on Strachan, you're in a green rut.
However, let me don my Save-the-planet cape one more time and leap to the defense of Canada's Green Party and the recent decision by a consortium of Canadian broadcasters to leave Green Party leader Elizabeth May out of the upcoming federal leaders' debate.
The consortium making the decision was made up of news directors from the CBC, Global TV, CTV, TVA and Radio Canada.
The debates are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday of next week and consortium chairman Troy Reeb of Global TV said the decision is final, May will not be a debate participant.
Reeb's exclusion arguments seem mostly centered on the expense of producing the debates. Speaking to the costs, Reeb said, "They are substantial and they are borne by us, probably about $200,000 to do a production." That's an argument? If it is, it's a weak argument, particularly for a former reporter. Adding a participant to a debate does not increase the cost.
Reeb went on to say the Green Party doesn't have a seat in the current parliament; well so what? The party is a significant player on the Canadian political scene and it has held a seat in the House of Commons. Moreover, the Green Party has run a full slate of 308 candidates in past federal elections and in a conversation Tuesday with Prince George - Peace River Green Party candidate Hillary Crowley I'm advised the Greens are running close to, if not a full slate of candidates in the upcoming election.
And no matter what place it may have held in the last parliament, the Green Party has a far more legitimate position in any Canadian political debate than the Bloc Quebecois, which by stated policy has no interests at all beyond the borders of Quebec and will never run a full slate of candidates. There are 75 seats in Quebec; the BQ has 47, yet the broadcast consortium has decreed the BQ has a legitimate place in a national coast-to-coast TV debate.
I realize of course that the consortium of broadcasters has made a decision on how to run the show and it's their time, their studio and their investment. But, that doesn't make it right. The media have an obligation to report news, offer opinion and present fair and unbiased coverage of issues that impact their listeners, readers and viewers. The consortium is not a censorship board; it is a gathering of broadcasters federally licensed to serve the news interests of all Canadians.
My interest in the Green Party is minimal. I believe in energy efficiency, tax policy that supports conservation measures and sustainability. I also believe we must seriously examine the ease with which we squander our natural resources and instead spend our time and political energy developing the Canadian human resource. Deep down, I would suspect most British Columbians agree with those objectives.
I also have a strong interest in due process, balanced reporting and understanding the policies of the various competing parties in our federal elections. Any ideas advanced in making our country a better place to live, deserve to be heard.
Plus, if we are to call ourselves a democratic society we must embrace freedom of expression.
Clearly, Elizabeth May has something to say. We may not agree with her position on every, or any issue, nevertheless she does speak for a significant number of Canadians. Green Party support has been growing since the year 2000 and in the 2008 federal election the Green Party picked up close to a million votes.
May's exclusion from the national stage during a national election based on the flimsy reasoning put forward by the consortium is an affront to democracy.
A supposed national debate that censors the opinion of a party leader, a party leader with supporters in every Canadian riding, is not a national debate.
