PROC meeting 17 · 2025-12-04 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The Procedure and House Affairs Committee met to study the 2025 federal leaders' debates, hearing from Michel Cormier, Executive Director and Acting Commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commission.

Michel Cormier reported that the 2025 debates were the most-watched on record, with 19.4 million viewers, and that 90% of Canadians consider debates important for democracy. He highlighted improvements to the format, including a single moderator and simplified set design, which led to 62% of viewers saying they were exposed to new ideas and over 80% finding the single moderator effective. Cormier acknowledged logistical problems, including last-minute changes to participation criteria, media accreditation disputes, and the cancellation of post-debate press conferences due to a tense environment. He recommended that future debates use Elections Canada's final candidate list for participation criteria, rather than party-submitted lists, and that the commission stop organizing post-debate press conferences, as this was never part of its core mandate and had become too disruptive. He also noted that the commission reduced costs by holding debates at a Radio-Canada studio and cutting interpretation expenses, though interpretation still cost about $1.1 million. Cormier defended the commission's value between elections, citing its role in stabilizing the debate environment, expanding distribution to smaller and indigenous media, and conducting research, but he conceded that a majority government could lead to the commission being suspended. He disagreed with the suggestion that the commission's work between elections did not prevent logistical issues, arguing that its ongoing readiness was necessary given minority Parliaments.

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Witnesses · 1

Michel Cormier

Executive Director and Acting Commissioner, Leaders' Debates Commission

Opening remarks

Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I wish to thank you for the opportunity to report on the commission's mandate and the 2025 federal leaders' debate. In many parts of the world, democracy is under increasing pressure, undermined by disinformation and polarization. In such an environment, political debates represent a rare opportunity for voters to hear from party leaders in a live, unfiltered fashion. In Canada, as elsewhere, debates have become crucial points of elections campaigns. Polling done for the commission on the 2025 federal election shows that Canadians believe debates matter. Close to 90% say debates are important for democracy. The same number want debates in federal elections and expect invited party leaders to participate in them. The Leaders' Debates Commission has been responsible for organizing leaders’ debates in the last three federal elections. As it does in every election cycle, the commission sought to improve the 2025 debates. Following consultations with producers, moderators and participants from here and elsewhere, we made key changes to the format, moderation and production of the debates in 2025. For the 2025 debates, there was…

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