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Canadian Debate Production Partnership Announces More Ways Than Ever To Watch Upcoming Federal Leaders' Debate

Thursday, 15 August 2019 12:45 PM

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2019 / The Canadian Debate Production Partnership (CDPP) is pleased to announce an expanded media partnership with new distribution partners for the French and English federal leadership debates on Oct. 7 and Oct. 10. Additional broadcast and digital partners will extend the reach of the debates.

Wide distribution of the debates is part of the producers’ commitment to the Debate Commission to make the event accessible to as many Canadians as possible. The streams will include sign language, described video, closed captioning and the production will be available in Indigenous languages and other non-official languages.

“We’ve secured commitments from a wide array of Canadian media organizations to carry these debates,” said Jennifer McGuire, of the CDPP. “An election is an important event in our democracy. Our collective goal is to ensure wide access and engage more Canadians in this important part of the process of choosing their leader.”

The CDPP group is made up of: CTV News, CBC News, Radio-Canada, Global News, Toronto Star and the Torstar chain, La Presse, Le Devoir, L’Actualité and HuffPost Canada.

"The leaders' debate is always a highlight of an election campaign,” said Éric Trottier, Deputy Editor of La Presse. "La Presse is proud to be part of the CDPP and to offer francophone voters across the country a unique opportunity to better understand party positions."

The other media organizations now joining the CDPP group in distributing the English and French leaders’ debates in October include OMNI Television, CPAC and APTN. In addition, Yahoo Canada, Groupe Capitales Médias and Groupe V Médias will be debate distributors.

Groupe Capitales Media, based in Quebec City, operates the newspapers Le Soleil, Le Droit, Le Quotidien, Le Nouvelliste, La Tribune et La Voix de l’Est. Group V Médias operates the television network V and the on-demand platform Noovo.ca.

Multilingual audiences can watch the debates live on OMNI Television and OMNITV.ca. in Arabic, Cantonese, Italian, Mandarin, and Punjabi.

“For many years OMNI Television has served as a trusted source for multilingual Canadians to engage in electoral issues, and we’re proud to continue this tradition working with the Canadian Debate Production Partnership in supporting voters in their language of comfort,” said Colette Watson, Senior Vice President, TV & Broadcast Operations, Rogers Media.

APTN is also confirmed as a debate distribution partner to broadcast both debates. The broadcaster, launched in 1999 as the first national Indigenous broadcaster in the world, reaches approximately 11 million Canadian TV subscribers.

“It is more important than ever to be inclusive, diverse and accurate as we address the issues that impact our Indigenous communities,” says Jean La Rose, CEO of APTN.

CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel, a national bilingual television channel focussed on Canadian politics, will also broadcast both debates.

About the CDPP

The CDPP comprises a group of partners who are able to offer the highest-quality journalism on television, radio, print and digital platforms. Together, the partnership brings a rich history of presenting high-quality, national-level event television, and innovative new methods to reach Canadians via platforms they choose. The CDPP includes:

  • CBC News
  • Radio-Canada
  • Global News
  • CTV News
  • Toronto Star and Torstar chain
  • HuffPost Canada and HuffPost Québec
  • La Presse
  • Le Devoir
  • L'Actualité

About the Debates

The debates will be:

  • Free to access and distribute: It can be broadcast for free. Anyone can stream it for free. Anyone can host a live viewing party for free. Access requests will be fulfilled through a release process managed by the CDPP.
  • Widely distributed on television, radio, digital and social streaming platforms to ensure access to a broad cross-section of Canadians across the country, on the platform of their choice.
  • Available in ASL, LSQ, closed captioning and described video.
  • Available in English, French, some Indigenous languages and non-official languages.
  • Produced by a large partnership with strong values of public service journalism, integrity and production quality.

For more information:

Kerry Kelly, Public Affairs, CBC, [email protected], 416-522-2962

SOURCE: The Canadian Debate Production Partnership

Topic:
Partnerships
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