Canadian leaders brace for election debate

OTTAWA, April 12 (UPI) -- The leaders of Canada's four major political parties were rehearsing Tuesday for nationally televised evening debates prior to the May 2 federal election.

A consortium of broadcasters will begin coverage at 7 p.m. Eastern Time of one debate pitting Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper against Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton of the socialist New Democratic Party and separatist Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe.

The men will each have 6 minutes to debate one another individually, organizers said.

The broadcasters denied Elizabeth May of the Green Party from participating, as her party has no seats in Parliament.

Since the opposition parties used a non-confidence vote in late March to bring down Harper's minority government, daily polls have consistently showed his Conservatives leading the Liberals by 8 percent to 12 percent.

However, as Canadians vote for district leadership instead of directly electing a prime minister, popular voting numbers aren't always accurate in predicting who would form a government.

The coming election will be the country's fourth in seven years.

A second debate in French was originally scheduled for Thursday. However, when the hockey-loving country realized the Montreal Canadiens were to begin their NHL playoffs that night against the Boston Bruins, the debate was moved ahead to Wednesday night.