What are you hoping to achieve through this project?

The main objective of 100 Debates is to encourage a race to the top on climate change and broader environmental policy issues. It will demonstrate the strong public support that exists for environmental leadership, and enable the best policy ideas to come forward to compete for that support. Citizens will be able able to hold future MPs accountable for policy commitments made at each debate, and political parties will be encouraged to offer increasingly ambitious plans for environmental issues.

Why is the focus on debates?

This is an unprecedented initiative. Coordinated, issue-based debates have never been held on this scale in Canada.

How are you ensuring the debates are non-partisan and welcoming of candidates from all parties?

The 100 Debates project is a strictly non-partisan initiative focused on bringing voters together at the riding level to hear candidates’ best policy proposals for the environment. GreenPAC works will all major political parties to build environmental leadership, and the organizations involved with local debates have pledged to organize the debates in a manner that is non-partisan and fair to all parties. We ask all potential organizers to confirm that they aren’t actively affiliated with a party or candidate (and that they haven’t rejected one either). We are clear that local moderators must be neutral and conduct the debates in a fashion that doesn’t favour or disadvantage any party or candidate.

Separate from the 100 Debates initiative, GreenPAC will be endorsing candidates who are environmental leaders this election. As always, GreenPAC will endorse candidates from across all the major parties. The endorsements have no impact on the organization or format of the debates.

Who are you working with to organize local debates?

We are working with a wide range of individuals and organizations in ridings across the country, including businesses, non-profit community groups, faith-based organizations, teachers and students.

All organizations must reflect a non-partisan approach to organizing the debates. This means we are not working with organizations that have endorsed or rejected a candidate or party or that are actively affiliated with any candidate or party.

Who is behind this project?

GreenPAC is coordinating the 100 Debates initiative nationally, with support from Équiterre in Quebec. We are working with a range of organizations across sectors to help get the word out and find local organizers. The initiative is supported by the generous donations of community members and funders, some of which include the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Ivey Foundation.

How can people get involved?

There are lots of ways to support this initiative, from organizing a debate to volunteering to helping to get the word out on social media or by RSVPing for a debate in your community. You can also donate directly to the project.

To help organize a debate, find your riding on our 100 Debates home page. Once you enter your postal code, you’ll be able to see which ridings have debates and which need organizers. You can also check out our map of debates across Canada.