TORONTO - The political stage could become crowded in future television debates after the federal broadcast regulator ruled that fringe parties were not given equal air time in the 1990 Ontario election.
The ruling this week was touted by the environmentalist Green Party as evidence of collusion between the television networks and the three main political parties to keep the public uninformed.
"Had they not conspired to keep the alternative parties off the debates, it may have had an effect on the election," Green Party adviser Greg Vezina said yesterday.
"Who is to say the leader of the Family Coalition Party or the Freedom Party of Ontario might not have captured the public's imagination if he had been able to participate in the debate?"
Mr. Vezina brought his complaint of bias against the three Toronto television stations - Global, CBLT and CFTO - to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
The commission agreed that three of Ontario's nine registered parties - the NDP, Liberals and Conservatives - received special treatment in the debate the stations co-produced on Aug. 20, 1990.
The commission acknowledged it may have been impractical to have all rival parties take part in the 90-minute debate but said its guidelines were breached when "leaders of registered parties not in the debate were not provided with some type of accommodating time."
It wasn't immediately apparent how the ruling would affect the future of televised leaders' debates - whether networks would be required to have all registered parties present during a debate or if smaller parties would have to receive compensating time elsewhere.
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last updated on April 30, 2002
