John Streicker, the Green Party candidate for the Yukon for the federal election, along with all other local candidates will be invited to participate in CBC North's radio debate.

The event is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 9 at the Gold Rush Inn in Whitehorse.

Streicker and CBC North managers were unsure of whether he could take part after a consortium of national television networks, which included the CBC, the French-language Radio Canada, CTV, Global and TVA, barred Green Party Leader Elizabeth May from nationally televised debates.

Both NDP Leader Jack Layton and Prime Minister Stephen Harper had threatened to boycott if May were included, but recanted earlier today.

John Agnew, CBC North's regional director in Yellowknife, N.W.T., said this afternoon that regardless of what played out at the national level, CBC North would follow its own precedent from the 2006 election: that all candidates were included in broadcast debates in Nunavut, the N.W.T. and the Yukon.

"It occured to me, among other things, that the Green Party participated in the all-candidates' forum in the N.W.T. and Nunavut the last go around," said Agnew.

The network has an obligation to provide equal exposure to all candidates who seek office in ridings with disparate and remote populations, he added.

Speaking from his Wood Street campaign office late this morning, Streicker was pleased with the latest development and reiterated why he believes all candidates should be included in a publicly-broadcast debate.

"The best way to have a democracy is to give people the best information possible," he said.

"The idea of a democracy is the people make the decisions, not the politicians."