National Post

Could a Harper-vs-Ignatieff tilt make election debates less boring?
Stephen Harper’s call for a one-on-one debate with Michael Ignatieff wouldn’t just be a policy wonk’s dream — it could also be a chance to reinvigorate the televised leaders’ debates, which in recent years rarely have lived up to the hype.

Timeline: Elizabeth May’s quest to be in the debate
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has, for the second time, been shut out of the televised federal leaders debate and vowed to muscle her way into it like she did in 2008. Here’s a look back in time at party leader efforts to join the debates – and a chronicling of Ms. May’s pursuits, then to now.

Chris Selley: Let the leaders go toe to toe, anytime
The biennial agony over the federal leaders’ debates is now in full bloom. The evil consortium of television networks that organizes the debates is again conspiring to silence Green Party leader Elizabeth May. Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton are pleading her case. And on Wednesday, a new twist: Stephen Harper declared himself amenable to “any number” of debate permutations, including a one-on-one between him and Mr. Ignatieff, who responded enthusiastically in the affirmative. “Any time. Any place,” he Tweeted.

Matt Gurney: In the West, the debate is Layton versus Harper
Canadian politics is fragmented and regionalized even more than usual. For many voters in Ontario, the battle will likely be between Ignatieff and Harper. But Mr. Ignatieff’s decision to pull the Liberal party hard to the left has brought the Liberals into territory the NDP has claimed for decades. A debate between Jack Layton and Michael Ignatieff would give left-leaning Canadians a chance to gauge the men, their sincerity and committment to the issues close to a lefty’s heart.