The stage will look different than originally planned Wednesday night, when Canada's major party leaders square off in the first of two nationally televised debates.
Instead of five podiums on the stage, there will now only be four.
The Green Party had its invitation rescinded less than 12 hours before the debate is set to start, with the Leaders' Debates Commission saying the party no longer met the criteria to be included.
Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault called the "last minute decision" both "unfounded" and "undemocratic."
The commission said the decision was made because the party made a strategic decision not to run candidates in every riding after initially telling the commission it would.
Speaking in Montreal, Pedneault said that decision comes seven days after the final candidate list was published by Elections Canada.
"Somehow they decided that what matters most here isn't a fair debate, it's a debate, the one that they're trying to create, that protects the status quo, that keeps the powerful comfortable and silences the rest of us," Pedneault said.
"This decision from the debate commission today does not protect democracy. It protects those who've already had their turn."
He said his party received a letter from the commission around 7:20 a.m. EDT Wednesday. The decision was announced publicly by the commission just before 8 a.m. EDT.
The Green co-leader said he "fully expects" to be at the debate and for the commission to reverse its decision.
Pedneault did not take questions at the press conference but as he exited, reporters peppered him with questions including asking if he intended to fight the decision in court.
Speaking in French he said he is not excluding any options.
In order to participate in the debates, parties must meet two of three conditions: having one seat in the House of Commons at dissolution, holding at least four per cent national support in polls 28 days before the election, or have endorsed candidates in at least 90 per cent of ridings 28 days before the election.
Four weeks before election day the Greens were only polling at three per cent in national polls, but they did hold two seats when Parliament was dissolved, and submitted the names of 343 candidates they intended to nominate to run in every riding.
But when the official Elections Canada candidates' list was released last week it included only 232 Green Partycandidates.
The commission initially defended the decision to include the Greens after the official candidates list was released, but ultimately changed its mind on Wednesday.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney said it was a surprising move fromthe commission but ultimately they're an independent body, while campaigning in Montreal Wednesday ahead of the debate.
"I think what's important is that the issues around climate change and the energy transition and nature and biodiversity are appropriately aired during the course of the debate. So, I'm sorry they're not there," Carney said.
Carney previously declined to take part in a televised debate proposed by French-language broadcaster TVA due to the Green Party not being invited to participate.
Jennifer Howard, NDP national campaign director, said that her party respects the decision of the commission.
"As an independent non-partisan body, it is their job to ensure all political parties follow the same criteria for inclusion in the debates. We reject any attempt to undermine or politicize their decision-making," Howard said in a media statement.
The Conservatives have not yet responded to a request for comment.
The debates, coming less than two weeks before election day, are seen as a pivotal point in the campaign for leaders trying to put on a stamp on their case to voters.
The French debate is the first time Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will meet face-to-face in a debate. Carney's French-language skills, which he has admitted are still in progress, will be put to the test in the debate Wednesday while Poilievre will be looking for ways to improve his polling numbers, which have trailed the Liberals' now for weeks.
The two-hour French-language debate will be moderated by Radio-Canada's Patrice Roy and focus on five themes: the cost of living, energy and climate, the trade war, identity and sovereignty, and immigration and foreign affairs.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Blanchet are the only two leaders with previous federal debate experience, though Carney and Poilievre participated in debates during their respective parties' leadership races.
"Carney has to do a decent job. He doesn't have to win it, he doesn't have to have all the great sound bites," said Barry McLaughlin, who worked on former NDP leader Jack Layton's federal debate team and coached former prime minister Kim Campbell for her leadership debate.
"But he's got to be seen as reasonable and able to handle the debate in the French language. That's really the bar of the next prime minister of Canada."
Carney struggled at times during the French debate during the leadership race in February and was saved by opponent Chrystia Freeland when he tripped up while discussing Hamas.
But recent polls have suggested Carney's Liberals have at least 40 per cent support in Quebec.
"Now that people have been exposed to (Carney's) French, it's been criticized a lot, but it has not really affected voters that much, at least their opinion," said Daniel Béland, a political-science professor at McGill University.
"And I think that's related to the fact that the focus of the campaign isn't really about culture, language or Quebec, or even the federalism. It's about who can stand up to (U.S. President) Donald Trump and who can fight for our economy. In that context, I don't think that language is that relevant to many voters, including francophone voters."
Both McLaughlin and Béland said that Poilievre's goal should be to present a softer, more refined image to appeal to voters beyond his base.
"The thing that I think there's a discomfort level is, what is he like as a person? What are his true motives? Is he somebody, proverbially, that you'd like to have a beer with?" McLaughlin said, noting he took the same approach with Layton in the 2011 debate before a historic win for the NDP.
"Right now it doesn't look like he is that person. But the debate can be a really important impression-forming opportunity for him."
And while the Conservatives have struggled to make gains in Quebec, Béland said Poilievre displayed some poise last weekend while appearing on the popular Quebec talk show Tout le monde en parle.
"Poilievre was not only the attack-dog opposition leader, but someone who can be just a bit chill, more relaxed, not so aggressive," Béland said.
"But I don't know if at this point it might be too little, too late in that sense to soften his image. But I still think he can score points."
The debate originally was scheduled for 8 p.m. ET but was moved two hours earlier. Both the Bloc and the NDP had called for the start time to be changed because the Montreal Canadiens play the Carolina Hurricanes Wednesday night.
