COVID cancels Toronto archdiocese debate

In a quick, COVID-constrained, snap federal election, the Archdiocese of Toronto has decided against trying to stage the kind of big, public, regional all-candidates event that was a highlight of the 2019 election campaign.

The October 2019 all-candidates event attracted about 1,000 people to a downtown venue, in addition to a large viewership on YouTube and Facebook. But this year is different, said Archdiocese of Toronto communications manager Mark Brosens.

“COVID-19 protocols make it impossible for Catholics to fill the John Bassett Theatre, like we did in 2019,” said Brosens. “And the energy of that room was a really special part of that debate. Also, the financial challenges of the pandemic have resulted in limited staffing in many departments of the Archdiocese of Toronto, so we don’t have the human resources to plan a debate at this time.”

That doesn’t mean the Church is backing off of its commitment to democratic engagement. Just wait until next time.

“We are planning to organize our first-ever Ontario provincial election debate in 2022,” Brosens said.

The archdiocese continues to encourage parishes to get out the vote whenever and however possible.

“In most Greater Toronto Area ridings, Catholics make up a large portion of the population, so our prayerful votes could significantly influence this, or any, election,” said Brosens.

The Church in Toronto is also promoting the election discernment tools of Catholic Conscience, the organization that helped organize and promote the 2019 event.

“Parishes in the archdiocese are welcome to share Catholic Conscience’s materials or any other non-partisan resources,” Brosens said.