The campaign for Pierre Poilievre, the perceived front-runner in the federal Conservative leadership race, says he will not take part in a third debate the party plans to host next month. Jenni Byrne, a senior member of Poilievre’s team, released a statement on Twitter explaining his decision after the party announced it would go ahead with the debate in early August. Conservative party rules say candidates must take part in formal leadership debates or face an “automatic penalty of $50,000”. Byrne’s statement noted that Poilievre participated in the first two official debates in May, plus one held by the Canada Strong and Free Network — an organization that promotes the conservative movement. He also criticized the English-language debate held in Edmonton in May, calling it a “disgrace” because it featured sound effects and questions about the candidates’ taste in music and television. “The candidates were given ping pong paddles to pick up when they wanted to speak. It was more of a game show than a debate,” the statement said. “And it happened despite strong warnings to the party about both the moderator and the scheme — all of which were ignored.” The debate was hosted by former veteran political journalist Tom Clarke. The statement said the party’s plan for a third debate comes as the Poilievre campaign works to win the vote among Conservative members. “The only aim of the campaign now is to get new members and existing members to complete their ballots and submit them before the September deadline. Pierre will be on the road again, non-stop, to help make that happen .” He continues to attack fellow leadership candidate Jean Charest’s repeated calls for a third debate, saying the former Quebec premier could not draw the same crowd sizes as Poilievre during the phase of the race when candidates were selling memberships to supporters. “That’s why he wants another conversation — to use Pierre’s popularity with members to carve out an audience he can’t get on his own.” In addition to Charest, candidates Scott Aitchison and Roman Baber had also voiced their support at another debate. Leslyn Lewis’ campaign had said she would attend as required. The party says the decision to host a debate in August came after a membership survey last week. A spokesman said the majority of the 24,000 members who responded expressed support for another debate. The decision to proceed was made on Wednesday night by the organizing committee for elections for the leadership of the party. Although officials and campaigns have just weeks to plan the event, the campaigns were told earlier in the race that their candidates could be called back for a debate in early August at the party’s discretion. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 21, 2022.
