The French-language federal leaders debate has been rescheduled to 6 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from its original time, after requests to avoid conflict with a Montreal Canadiens game. The Canadiens are set for a puck drop against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, with a spot in the NHL playoffs on the line.
CBC/Radio-Canada, which was selected by the independent Leaders’ Debates Commission to produce the debates, confirmed to Global News that the French-language debate will now take place at 6 p.m. Eastern, and is set to conclude at 8 p.m. Eastern.
On Tuesday, Bloc Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet suggested he’d like to see the day of the debate changed so Canadians won’t have to choose between watching the debate and watching the game. “If the date can be changed, let’s do that,” he said at a press conference. “I will, of course, make myself available at any moment. We’ll look into that.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on Tuesday called on the debates commission to reconsider the timing, saying the game is the Canadiens’ “third and final chance to clinch a playoff spot.”
Blanchet later commended the decision for the time change. “We are pleased that the debate time has been moved up in order to maximize viewership of what will be the only debate in French,” Blanchet wrote in a statement. “It is of particular importance for Quebec democracy, and we hope that as many Quebecers as possible will be able to follow it.”
The NDP’s Quebec campaign director, Jonathan Gauvin, also praised the move. “This is the right decision and we encourage people to listen to this important debate for the future of our country,” Gauvin wrote.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney was also asked about the Canadiens’ game and said he plans to focus on addressing those who do watch the debate. “I’m going to concentrate on neither attack nor defence,” he said. “But I will focus on transparency to inform those Canadians who choose to watch the debate instead of the Habs game and we’ll leave it to the Habs to decide the right combination of attack and defence over the course of le Grand Match.”
The Green Party said: “Though Canadians love a good hockey game, we think they will prioritize the debate. There’s too much at stake in this election. Jonathan Pedneault looks forward to debating tomorrow evening … and checking by how goals the Habs beat Carolina after the debate is done.”
Global News reached out to the Conservative Party for their views, but did not hear back by publication. It’s not the first time a federal leaders debate has been rescheduled, coincidentally once again for a Canadiens game. In 2011, a Montreal Canadiens game postponed the French-language debate during that election campaign after the Bloc made a request to the network consortium that runs the debates.
At the time, the consortium agreed saying all parties had agreed to postpone the face off in favour of the opening game of the playoff series between the Canadiens and Boston Bruins. When told about that, Blanchet said he was not aware of the demand by then-leader Gilles Duceppe. “I would like anybody else to watch the game,” he said. “But now I believe that some questions are very serious about Canada’s future and Quebec’s future and maybe some attention should be given to the debate.”
The first of two official leaders’ debates before Canada’s April 28 federal election has been rescheduled so voters don’t skip it in favor of a hockey game. Wednesday’s French-language debate in Montreal was moved two hours earlier to 6 p.m. Ottawa time, according to a statement on the Radio-Canada website that cites “Canadians’ passion for hockey.”
The change was announced Wednesday after the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois requested the debate be rescheduled rather than compete with what could be the Habs' last chance to clinch a playoff spot. Both parties expressed concerns that the hockey game, which starts at 7 p.m. ET, would distract viewers from the debate.
In a later news release, Radio-Canada said it had decided, in partnership with the Leaders' Debates Commission, to move the event. That way, the release said, viewers won't "miss this crucial moment of the election campaign" because they're glued to what could be a decisive hockey match instead.
Earlier in the day Tuesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a news release that failing to reschedule forces people to choose between the debate and a "must-win" game. "This kind of political discussion shouldn't compete with something that means so much to so many," he said.
After the debate was rescheduled, the NDP's campaign director, Jonathan Gauvin, said it was the right decision "and we encourage people to listen to this important debate for the future of our country." The debate falls on the same night the Montreal Canadiens will be playing their final game of the regular season.
In 2011, then Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe led the charge to reschedule the French-language debate to avoid conflict with a Canadiens-Bruins playoff game. This time around, Bloc Leader Yves François-Blanchet said he also put in a request to reschedule with the Leaders' Debates Commission.
Once the debate was rescheduled, his party issued a statement, saying it is pleased with the decision. "It is of particular importance for Quebec democracy and we hope that as many Quebecers as possible will be able to follow [the debate]," the statement says.
The Conservative Party said it was consulted about the time change and agreed. Before the decision was made, Liberal Leader Mark Carney told reporters he will "focus on transparency to inform those Canadians who choose to watch the debate instead of the Habs game."
The Montreal Canadiens missed another opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks Monday. After Monday's loss, the Canadiens have 89 points, four more than the Columbus Blue Jackets, with one game remaining Wednesday at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blue Jackets — the only other team still in the wild-card hunt — have two games left, starting with a visit to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
If Columbus fails to win both its remaining games in regulation or Montreal earns at least one point against Carolina, the Canadiens advance to the post-season with a first-round series against the Washington Capitals. The last time the Habs reached the playoffs was 2021.
Hockey is important, but so is the debate, said Antonine Yaccarini, a political analyst and former political staffer at the provincial level. The hockey game will likely get more attention, but it's also complicated to reschedule, she said. "It's a lot of work to put together. A lot of negotiations with the political parties," said Yaccarini. "So it has to be a very good reason to be moved."
