I am one of your constituents in Trinity-Spadina and I was outraged to hear that your party took such a lacklustre stance in the decision by the media consortium's decision to exclude Green Party Leader Elizabeth May from the leaders' debates. By not taking a stand and asking the networks to allow the leader of a legitimate national party to join the debate, you are in fact chipping away at the democracy you constantly say you defend.
When your leader Jack Layton said that he is ready to go head to head against Stephen Harper to become the Prime Minister of this country, he failed to mention he was too good to go head to head with other leaders who stood a chance of challenging his candidates in key ridings. Is he afraid that Ms. May and her party could pose a serious threat to your party in future elections because your parties share such similar ideologies? Is that why he's willing to compromise democracy and make sure that Canadians do not have an opportunity to listen to another party who has a legitimate right to be heard?
The Greens are running the same number of candidates as all three major parties. In fact, it's running over 200 more than the BQ, yet they have a seat at the table. The Greens received 6.8% of the popular vote last year - 3% shy of the BQ and about 1/3 of your party's popular vote. This showing should at least guarantee them a seat at the table.
As a female MP, I'm sure one of your interests is to see more women represented in the HoC. Pressure your leader to take a stand and get Ms. May into the debate. Let the only female leader of a major Canadian political party speak and get her party's platform out for Canada to see. Give her the same shot your party has.
Thank you for your time.
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