Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell was not permitted to attend a mayoral debate on Monday evening after she initially threatened to boycott the event.
Fennell was barred from the event hosted by the Brampton Board of Trade due to a statement she made in early September, suggesting the front-running mayoral candidates drop out of the debate.
In the statement, Fennell threatened to boycott the debate unless all 14 people registered for the mayoral race were included. Fennell encouraged her colleagues to do the same. She said it was unfair for organizers to "cherry pick" which candidates could participate.
"We have 14 candidates running for mayor and when I learned that there were only places for four, I took a position," Fennell told CP24's Cristina Tenaglia before the 7 p.m. debate.
Responding to the statement, the Brampton Board of Trade said it would not be changing the format of its debate, but dropped Fennell from the list of participants.
Instead, candidates Jacqueline Bell and Hargy Randhawa were invited to the event in Fennell's place.
"Candidates do not have the 'right' to participate in debates," a statement from the board said. "They earn the right to participate by running successful campaigns that make them serious contenders for the office they seek to hold."
Going back on her initial stance, Fennell asked to rejoin the debate two weeks ago, but the board rejected the incumbent's request.
Jaipaul Massey-Singh, the debate's moderator, told media that when the mayor decided she didn't want to participate, the group thought it was appropriate to move on without her.
Despite the setback, Fennell said she's proud of her record and doesn't think the incident will hurt her chances of re-election on Oct. 27.
"I look forward to every opportunity to answer tough questions and to defend the record of this great city," Fennell said.
The next Brampton Board of Trade debate is Oct. 9, and Fennell said she expects to attend.
