While the chamber first established a policy around elections in 2011, and has hosted all-candidates debates for provincial and municipal hopefuls since then, this specific criterion was added in March 2015. The addition is based on feedback provided by chamber members on several occasions, she said.

All candidates are invited to setup displays in the open house portion of the event, Scott said.

"We looked at what is being done in debates across the nation, at different levels of government," she said. "Historically, they've limited participants to main parties (or) frontrunners. We're not breaking new ground here. In the past, we've had many different parties who have registered when we've run debates."

Scott compared the format to the recent Globe and Mail leaders debate, which only included Prime Minister Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

"We looked at fair ways to do it," Scott said. "This is our debate. We are not funded by government. This is the best way we can provide value to all who attend.

“It's not a policy that was put into place for one debate; it was a long-term policy. It has to be manageable for future debates as well. When the (chamber) board adopted the policy, it was with careful and prudent consideration… with the full understanding of what the ramifications might be for parties that didn't qualify."

Baxter has run in municipal, provincial and federal elections since the beginning of 2014. He earned roughly seven per cent of the vote while running for Newmarket mayor last October, and 1.7 per cent during a bid for provincial office in June 2014. He also received 1.7 per cent support in the 2011 federal election.

"If there's enough noise, I'm hoping they'll be put in reverse," he said. "I'm not trying to be paranoid and presume it's a vendetta against me, but I can't help but feel a little bit affronted. If there was nine or 10 (candidates), I could see some rationale, but there's just little old me. If there were a candidate running independently for the first time, they've struck out."

Baxter encourages residents to vote for the individual that will best represent the riding in Parliament, not a specific party.

— with files from parl.gc.ca, elections.on.ca and newmarket.ca