Canadian election debate advanced by 2 hours to avoid conflict with hockey game

MONTREAL — Politics bowed to Canada's most popular sport on Tuesday, when the French-language leaders' debate was abruptly rescheduled to minimize a conflict with a Montreal Canadiens hockey game.

Two federal party leaders had called for the Wednesday evening debate to be moved, out of concern that the game could siphon off potential viewers. Five party leaders will debate each other twice this week, once in French and once in English, ahead of a national election set for April 28.

The televised event will now take place two hours earlier than planned, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET in Montreal. The NHL team will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. ET, in a game that could clinch them a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In a statement, Radio-Canada and the Leaders' Debates Commission said they were ''recognizing Canadians' passion for hockey.''

''Citizens will be able to catch this crucial moment in the election campaign while also following the decisive periods of the hockey game that could put the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs,'' the statement reads.

Earlier in the day, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet had both called on debate organizers to reschedule the event.

''Hockey is in our blood,'' Singh said in a statement. ''This scheduling conflict makes the political system look out of touch and is going to have a serious impact on who tunes in to the only French debate of the campaign.''

''Let's not underestimate the importance of this debate for Quebec democracy, on the one hand,'' he told reporters. ''Let's not underestimate the quality of the game, either.''

This isn't the first time NHL hockey has elbowed its way onto the campaign trail. During the 2011 election, former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe asked for a debate to be postponed due to a Canadiens hockey game, and his request was granted.

Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney also acknowledged the debate's unfortunate timing but didn't call for it to be rescheduled, saying Tuesday that the French-language debate would be a chance ''to inform those Canadians who choose to watch the debate instead of the Habs game,'' using a nickname for the Canadiens.

Blanchet used the opportunity to take a swipe at Carney, whose French is the weakest of the major party leaders. ''Obviously, we all have the impression … that the fewer people listening to the debate, the happier Mr. Carney is,'' he said.

The Canadiens could qualify for the playoffs before they even take to the ice on Wednesday unless the Columbus Blue Jackets win without going into overtime Tuesday night.