OTTAWA – Canada's national television broadcasters have barred Green Party leader Elizabeth May from the leaders' election debates, to be held on Oct.1-2.

In a statement today, the consortium of television networks justified the decision as a saying three other party leaders opposed May's inclusion.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion had not objected to May's participation, but said that if Harper refused to participate, he would not either.

"It became clear that if the Green Party were included, there would be no Leaders' Debates," a written statement from the broadcasters said.

"In the interest of Canadians, the consortium has determined that it is better to broadcast the debates with the four major party leaders, rather than not at all," it said.

He said the broadcasters tried to explore different ways of including the Green Party, but never even got to the point of discussing an appropriate format because of the opposition to May's participation.

The decision means that the other four party leaders – Harper of the Conservative Party of Canada, Dion of the Liberal Party, Jack Layton of the New Democratic Party and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois – will go head-to-head in front of the cameras four and a half weeks into the campaign, and just two weeks before its end.

The French language debate will be held Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa from 8-10 p.m., with moderator-journalist Stephane Bureau. The English language debate will air the next evening from the same venue, but an hour later, from 9-11 p.m. with TVO host Steve Paikin moderating the discussion.

May had already dubbed "ridiculous" and "absurd" the arguments of leaders like Harper that she represented merely another Liberal voice at the debates.

Harper dismissed her earlier today as a "Liberal candidate," though he did not say he would refuse to participate.

"For us, there is no strategically important question here. The Green Party does not split our vote. But I do think it's unfair in principal to have two Liberal candidates in the debate," Harper said during a campaign stop in Richmond, B.C.

"Elizabeth May is not an opponent of Stéphane Dion. She is his candidate in Central Nova and I think it would be fundamentally unfair to have two candidates who are essentially running on the same platform in the debate. That's my view," said Harper.

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May is the Green candidate in Central Nova against Defence Minister Peter MacKay where the Liberals opted not to run a own candidate.

But May called that merely "a leader's courtesy" and stressed her party had planned to run candidates against Liberals in all other ridings.

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