Canadian Election Debate Moved Due to Montreal Canadiens Playoff Conflict

Canada’s four largest political parties have agreed to change the date of their French-language debate this week to avoid a conflict with a playoff hockey game, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The debate, which was planned for April 14, has been rescheduled to take place a day earlier, the CBC said on its website. The CBC is a member of the broadcasting group that organizes debates among leaders during election campaigns.

The leaders from the four parties -- the governing Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois -- are also scheduled to hold an English- language debate on April 12. The federal elections will be held on May 2.

The parties and the broadcasters changed the date of the French-language debate after the National Hockey League scheduled a playoff game between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins on the same day, the CBC said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Theophilos Argitis in Ottawa at targitis@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net; Christopher Wellisz at cwellisz@bloomberg.net.