With some leaders stating they will not show up, or not attend based on the attendance of others, it is important to encourage all major Party Leaders to attend. This set of debates is particularly important for several reasons:

1) The CBC/Consortium debates represents half the French debates and will be broadcast nation wide

2) The major media groups have a vast network and ability to reach millions of voters, and this is a good thing for encouraging democracy in Canada.

3) With this being the longest campaign in Canadian history since 1872, it is necessary for Party leaders to be able to respond directly to each other and allow voters to judge the responses and character of each leader

4) These debates are currently some of the only ones that have invited all Party leaders with members in the House of Commons (including Green and Bloc Parties)

 5) They are the oldest, if unofficial, election debates and have a traditional role to fill for many who love the CBC.