Canada Moves Political Debate for Hockey Game; Confirms All Canadian Stereotypes

A French-language party debate has been bumped up a day in Canada because it conflicts with a playoff hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. The Montreal Gazette reports that a television consortium agreed to move the event from Thursday to Wednesday after Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe brought up the issue. This would have easily been avoided here in America considering that we don't vote or watch hockey.

The broadcasters who moved the debate released the following statement:

"The change was made with the consent of all parties participating in the debates, and is in keeping with the consortium's goal [pun not intended] of ensuring debates are scheduled to reach as wide an audience as possible."

All five of the participating parties agreed with the change, but there was one dissenter in the Canadian political landscape. Canada's Green Party was not allowed to participate in the debate, even after the scheduling change was made. Green Party deputy leader Georges Laraque wrote a scathing attack on his blog:

"Today I feel like democracy in Canada is a complete joke. I'm in total disbelief that [Conservative leader Stephen] Harper, [Liberal leader Michael] Ignatieff, Duceppe, [NDP leader Jack] Layton and the broadcast consortium decided that the Habs vs. Bruins game this week is more important than hearing from [Green Party leader] Elizabeth May in the debates."

It's worth noting that Laraque is a former Montreal Canadiens player. If that doesn't add weight to his argument, perhaps the following five minute video of him beating the crap out of people will:

While it won't have to compete with a hockey game, the debate will go up against celebrity chef Guy Fieri's exciting smash-hit game show Minute to Win It on CityTV. If you get sick of five people arguing in French, Canada, you always have chef Guy waiting for you just a click away.

via Guy Fieri's Twitter

Hockey 1, French debate 0 [Montreal Gazette via Deadspin]

[ngreene@villagevoice.com / @nickgreene]