FEDERAL ELECTION DEBATE ANNOUNCEMENT - Munk Debates Invites Major Party Leaders to Take Part in Election Debate on Foreign Policy on Oct. 1st

Munk Debates launches a website to encourage Canadians to support the call
for a leaders debate on foreign policy.

TORONTO, Aug.8, 2019 /CNW/ - Rudyard Griffiths, Chair of the Munk Debates, made the following statement today:

"We are inviting the leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada, the Green Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada, and the New Democratic Party to take part in a standalone election debate on Canada's foreign policy in Toronto on the evening of Tuesday, October 1^st.

The debate will provide Canadians with a better understanding of each leader's vision for Canada's foreign policy during a period of increasing global turmoil.

The debate will be modelled on the successful 2015 leaders debate on foreign policy convened by the Munk Debates during the previous federal election.

We look forward to once again testing each of the leaders with challenging questions and providing the opportunity for extended, in-depth exchanges between the participants."

The 2019 Munk Leaders Debate on Foreign Policy will take place at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall in front of a live audience on the evening of Tuesday, October 1^st. Rudyard Griffiths, Chair of the Munk Debates, will act as the moderator. The Munk Debates will broadcast the entire debate online and make all of the proceedings available, free of charge, to any media outlet or digital entity interested in carrying it. For more information on the debate rules, our invitation to the four party leaders, and how we are involving the Canadian public in our call for the leaders to take part, visit our FAQ here.

The Munk Debates also launched today a website - election.munkdebates.com - to mobilise public support for the debate. Canadians can use the website to email the invited party leaders to urge them to participate and sign a petition in support of the debate. 

Since 2008, the Munk Debates have provided a civil, substantive forum for leading thinkers to discuss the pressing issues of our time. Two debates are held each year in Toronto, one in the spring and one in the fall. Previous participants include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger, Stephen Lewis, Paul Krugman, Fareed Zakaria, Samantha Power, Louise Arbour, and Glenn Greenwald. During the 2015 federal election, the Munk Debates convened the first ever leaders debate on foreign policy. The debate was widely recognized as one of the most successful of the election cycle.

The Munk Debates are financially underwritten by the Canadian charitable foundation, Aurea, founded in 2006 by Peter and Melanie Munk to support institutions involved in the study and development of public policy in Canada.

"Our philanthropy is aimed primarily at improving the quality of public debate in Canada," said Melanie Munk, speaking about the rationale for the Munk Debates. "Whether it is the support we provide to the Munk School at the University of Toronto or the creation of the Munk Debates through our Aurea Foundation, our foundation is committed to broadening public knowledge, education, and informed discourse."

For more information on the Munk Debates please visit www.munkdebates.com.

SOURCE Munk Debates

Media inquiries and interview requests should be directed to: Sherry Naylor, [email protected], 416-368-8253