Maxime Bernier would be eligible to appear in the 2019 leaders’ debates if his upstart People’s Party successfully nominates candidates in at least 90 per cent of ridings, Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould said Thursday.

Under the eligibility criteria introduced by the Liberals last month, political parties must satisfy at least two out of three requirements to have their leaders included in debates organized by a new federal commission.

Parties must either have an elected MP or intend to run candidates in 90 per cent of the ridings, or have won at least four per cent of the vote in 2015 — or at least stand a “legitimate chance” of winning seats in the next vote.

Although elected under the Conservative Party banner in 2015, Bernier would still qualify as a People’s Party MP for the purposes of the criteria, and would be eligible to participate if his party met the nomination threshold, Gould confirmed to iPolitics following her appearance before the Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. Bernier could also merit inclusion if his party stands a chance of winning seats by the commission.

A former cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s government, Bernier left the Conservative caucus in late August, calling the party “too intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed.” He has said the People’s Party intends to run candidates in all 338 federal ridings in 2019.

Gould said the eligibility requirements were designed to offer the federal-election leaders’-debates commission, headed by former governor general David Johnston, “flexibility” in determining participants.

The minister came under harsh opposition fire during Thursday’s committee appearance for how the new commission was introduced by the government. Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie accused the governing Liberals of failing to adequately consult with the opposition parties, saying she was first informed of Johnston’s appointment when Gould called her the morning before it was publicly announced.

She asked Gould how the commission could be seen as independent when it was wholly created and developed by the Liberals, and why the appointment wasn’t first presented to the House of Commons for approval.

NDP MP David Christopherson called the rollout of the commission a “disgraceful expression” that continued the government’s disturbing trend of ignoring and disrespecting Parliament, citing the dismissal of the electoral-reform committee and controversies over the appointments of the official-languages and lobbying commissioners. He questioned why the Liberals felt they could move forward “unilaterally” in deciding the commissioner and the eligibility criteria for participation, when the committee wrote in its report on the matter that these determinations required consultation and collaboration.

Gould countered that the creation of the commission was “informed” by the committee’s report, noting that 10 of its 12 recommendations were heeded by the Liberals, adding the government ensured the first commissioner was “above the fray and would always place the interest of Canadians at the heart of every decision.” The Liberals also held a series of roundtables on the topic across Canada.

“We did listen to the committee, because one of (its) recommendations … was to ensure criteria (were) established well in advance (of the election),” Gould said, adding that the “commissioner will have the ultimate discretion.”

The minister also argued that the government took stock of the committee’s recommendations by creating a “two-step process” to gauge the effectiveness of these changes. Following the election, Johnston will be required to submit a report to the government on the debates, complete with recommendations for improvements. Since the commissioner’s position is an Order in Council appointment, Gould said it doesn’t require legislative approval.

In addition to Johnston, the commission will have a seven-member advisory board. It’s mandated to produce at least two debates in each official language during the 2019 campaign. The commission, Gould said, will contract out the production of the debates.