The Toronto division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) hosted a televised debate for Toronto’s leading mayoral candidates and excluded one of the race’s top candidates.
Mayoral candidate Anthony Furey’s campaign has been gaining support in recent weeks as shown by recent public opinion polls, passing other Toronto politicians with name recognition.
The lack of invitation came despite the CBC recently writing an article conceding that Furey has been gaining ground and edging out several high-profile rivals.
Furey is currently on leave with True North as the VP for editorial and content.
In response to True North’s request for comment, the CBC says that they promise to give space to candidates whose commentary and platform “doesn’t violate CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices or Code of Conduct.”
CBC’s head of public affairs told True North that the public broadcaster considers a “combination of factors” when assessing who will be invited to participate in the debate and who will be excluded.
The first reason given is polling – the CBC says that on May 23rd, when invitations were sent out, Furey was not performing well in the public opinion polls. However, on May 12th, Mainstreet Research released a poll pegging Furey at 7% support, ahead of Toronto city councillor Brad Bradford.
A Forum Research poll released on Monday estimated Furey’s support at 10%, ahead of Bradford, former deputy mayor Ana Bailão, and former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister Mitzie Hunter.
The second factor given is that candidates who do not have a robust platform that addressed the key issues Torontonians are facing were not invited to the debate. The key issues listed included housing, transit, transportation, and city finances.
The final factor listed is that invited candidates had “relevant civic or governmental leadership experience in Toronto.”
The rule requiring all candidates invited to the debate to be a former or current politician prevents candidates coming from the business sector and media from participating in the debate.
For many years, Furey was an editor and columnist for the Toronto Sun, but he has not previously served as an elected official.
Furey took to Twitter to criticize the CBC for failing to invite him to participate in the debate, saying that the exclusion is a bad look for the state broadcaster.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming TV debates that I’m in but it’s certainly a bad look on CBC’s part that they’re deliberately excluding me, the only frontrunner with momentum, from today’s debate,” said Furey.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming TV debates that I’m in but it’s certainly a bad look on CBC’s part that they’re deliberately excluding me, the only frontrunner with momentum, from today’s debate. https://t.co/lnKY53PFYo
— Anthony Furey (@anthonyfurey) June 6, 2023
Civic commentator and YouTuber J.J. McCullough slammed the media for arbitrarily excluding Furey from the debate, criticizing the CBC and the media’s gatekeeping practices.
“Faced with a ton of candidates but lacking traditional parties, the media just seems to arbitrarily designate several random people the only candidates worth caring about,” said McCullough.
Municipal politics in Canada, especially Ontario, always feels like the most gatekeeped form of democracy. Faced with a ton of candidates but lacking traditional parties, the media just seems to arbitrarily designate several random people the only candidates worth caring about. https://t.co/43Y0lIVsfr
— J.J. McCullough 🥶 (@JJ_McCullough) June 6, 2023
Bradford did not participate in the debate despite being invited, as he withdrew his invitation to spend time with his second child born the previous day.
