ST. PAUL'S - It's not easy being Green - at least not if you're trying to take part in the Beth Tzedec men's club upcoming candidates' debate.
The men's club has taken its cue from the national stage in selecting the parties that would be invited to participate in the debate and opted to limit the stage to Liberal Carolyn Bennett, Conservative Maureen Harquail and New Democrat William Molls.
The three-candidate debate marks a departure from last election's discussion in which the Green Party was invited to join.
Larry Rachlin, a spokesperson for the debate, in an interview on Tuesday, said the door had not been completely closed on Green Party candidate Jim McGarva, noting his participation will depend on whether a federal court mandates the inclusion of Green Party leader Elizabeth May in the federal debate.
However, that decision was made by the federal court later that day when Federal Court judge Marc Nadon declined to hear the Green Party's case for May's inclusion in next week's debates, effectively ending McGarva's hopes of taking part in the debate.
The federal debate dates are set for April 12 in English and April 14 in French, both in Ottawa, and are organized by a consortium of broadcasters that include the CBC, Radio Canada, CTV, Global and TVA, in consultation with the four largest political parties (Conservative, Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois).
The consortium unanimously decided to exclude May. They made the same decision the last election, but reversed themselves due to a huge public outcry. Their decision to exclude May this time around led to the Beth Tzedec men's club upholding their decision to limit the debate to three candidates.
"Our policy the last 20 years has been to invite to the podium the parties invited to the CBC debates," Rachlin said. "If it's resolved and the Greens are in the CBC debate, we'll gladly have (McGarva) up there."
Rachlin added all candidates in the riding are invited to attend the debate, hand out literature and speak to constituents. The decision to follow the federal lead, however, was made in order to streamline the debate while staying impartial.
"People have said, 'You had the Greens last time, so why not this time?' but I can assure you that if we include them, the Libertarian and Communist candidates will say, 'You arbitrarily decided for them so why not decide for us?'" he said.
The candidates will be invited to meet with constituents at a meet-and-greet prior to the debate itself, at which time candidates not invited to join on the podium can introduce themselves and their platforms to voters.
McGarva said he understands the men's club's position, but added his party's exclusion points to a widespread misconception that the Green Party is a fringe group.
"We have widespread support across Canada and here in St. Paul's in the last election, we did very well," he said.
The Green Party received more than nine per cent of the St. Paul's vote in the last election, nearly doubling their support from the previous vote.
McGarva said he looks forward to - at the very least - meeting St. Paul's constituents at the debate and hopes the consortium reverses its position on the Green Party.
"I would really like to see Elizabeth May included for her own sake, for the sake of the party and for democracy," he said. "It's disheartening to see (the consortium's) decision is having a trickle-down effect into local ridings."
The Beth Tzedec men's club debate is open to the public and will take place in the synagogue's main hall, at 1700 Bathurst St., beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 21.