Maxime Bernier invited to official debates

Debates Commissioner David Johnston issued an invitation to Maxime Bernier, to join the five other party leaders at the Commission’s two debates on October 7 and 10.

This represented a u-turn from the Commissioner’s original decision to not invite him earlier in the summer.

According to Commissioner Johnston, the change was done as he believed there was a reasonable chance for more than just Bernier to get elected.

“Based on our further evaluation, I’m satisfied that more than one candidate endorsed by the party has a reasonable chance to be elected,” says the Commissioner.

In coming to this decision, the Commissioner considered a range of factors including:

• Party membership, fundraising and organizational capacity;
• Riding level polls (conducted by the Commission), publicly available riding polls and expert analysis that show support in designated ridings; and
• Prominent media presence on a range of national issues.

Update: On Twitter, PPC leader Maxime Bernier reacted excitedly to the news before boarding a plane going to Saint John.