It doesn’t take long for the days to blur
together. The non-stop energy of a federal
election
campaign takes over normal life in the bat of an eye (not that my
pre-writ life
resembled anything normal).
The bomb shell that landed in our campaign was
the news that
the now famous “consortium” decided I was not to be included in
the leaders’
debate. That was on Tuesday.
I am overwhelmed by the support from so many
Canadians. I wish I could write personally
to thank the
thousands of people who have contacted us and left messages. I am heartened by the support from major
newspapers’ editorial pages – the Victoria Times Colonist, The
Vancouver Sun,
Ottawa Citizen, Edmonton Journal, Chronicle Herald, to name a few. The support from prominent Canadians has
been much appreciated -- from Judy
Rebick and rabble.ca, Margaret Atwood, Raffi, former head of
Elections Canada,
Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Andrew Coyne, Rick Mercer, Tom Axworthy,
Elly
Alboim, Ron Wright, Farley Mowat, and yesterday, former Prime Minister the Right Honourable Joe Clark. (Naming people is dangerous.
The support has come in so fast and furious,
I am sure I am forgetting many who deserve a huge thank you).
The support of the YWCA is much appreciated
(loved their
headline “Who is afraid of Elizabeth
May this time?”) So too is the offer for
another set of debates, all five leaders invited, from CHCH and
CHEK TV.
The statement by the CBC Ombudsman should make CBC
brass
rethink their decision. There is not
much left for the consortium. The
grasping at straws has not produced a single cogent or believable
rationale.
Thanks to the thousands and thousands of you
who are
demanding democratic debates.
Today is April Fools Day.
Maybe the Consortium will decide to abandon their early
practical joke
and allow the federal election campaign, with a full and fair
exchange of
views, to proceed.