Bloc, NDP ask for French-language debate to be postponed due to Montreal Canadiens game

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 3:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

The New Democratic Party is requesting that Wednesday evening's French-language statement beryllium postponed alternatively than held connected the aforesaid nighttime the Habs are making their past bid for a spot successful the playoffs.

"We're asking radical — particularly successful Quebec — to take betwixt a captious antiauthoritarian statement and cheering connected the Habs successful a must-win game," NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says successful a quality merchandise Tuesday.

"This benignant of governmental treatment shouldn't vie with thing that means truthful overmuch to truthful many."

The statement falls connected the aforesaid nighttime the Montreal Canadiens volition beryllium playing their last crippled of the regular season, marking their 3rd and last accidental to clinch a playoff spot.

In 2011, past Bloc Québécois person Gilles Duceppe led the complaint to reschedule the French-language statement to debar struggle with a Canadiens-Bruins playoff game.

This clip around, Bloc Leader Yves François-Blanchet said helium besides enactment successful a petition to reschedule with the Leaders' Debates Commission.

CBC News requested remark from the committee but did not perceive back.

WATCH | Bloc person says helium volition look into rescheduling: 

For his part, Liberal Leader Mark Carney told reporters helium volition "focus connected transparency to pass those Canadians who take to ticker the statement alternatively of the Habs game."

The Montreal Canadiens missed different accidental to clinch a playoff spot with a 4-3 shootout nonaccomplishment to the Chicago Blackhawks Monday.

After Monday's loss, the Canadiens person 89 points, 4 much than the Columbus Blue Jackets, with 1 crippled remaining Wednesday astatine location against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Blue Jackets — the lone different squad inactive successful the wild-card hunt — person 2 games left, starting with a sojourn to Philadelphia connected Tuesday.

If Columbus fails to triumph some its remaining games successful regularisation oregon Montreal earns astatine slightest 1 constituent against Carolina, the Canadiens beforehand to the post-season with a first-round bid against the Washington Capitals.

The past clip the Habs reached the playoffs was 2021.

Hockey is important, but truthful is the debate, said Antonine Yaccarini, a governmental expert and erstwhile governmental staffer astatine the provincial level. The hockey crippled volition apt get much attention, but it's besides analyzable to postpone a debate, she said.

"It's a batch of enactment to enactment together. A batch of negotiations with the governmental parties," said Yaccarini. "So it has to beryllium a precise bully crushed to beryllium moved."