A rally outside of CBC North on Wednesday urged the broadcaster to hold a federal leaders debate on climate change before it鈥檚 too late.

Rally attendees鈥� placards called for 鈥済reen jobs for all鈥� and a green new deal.  Others simply stated 鈥�11 years鈥� 鈥� a reference to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change鈥檚 2018 report that the planet will heat 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2030 and will then face increasingly disastrous extreme weather as a result.

Our Time, a national campaign aiming to spur a Canadian green new deal through the upcoming federal election, organized the event.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in a climate emergency,鈥� organizer Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen told Yellowknifer at the rally. 鈥淛ust in the north, we鈥檝e seen the impact of wildfires, (and) ice roads closing early.鈥�

In response, the organization is calling on CBC to host a federal leaders debate. However, CBC told Yellowknifer that it was up to the Leaders鈥� Debates Commission to select the media outlets hosting the debate. Once chosen, individual outlets make an editorial decision on the theme of a debate.

鈥淲e know climate change is an issue that is important to Canadians and it will be reflected in CBC News鈥� election coverage approach. We have covered climate change extensively and we will continue to cover this issue,鈥� CBC English Services Head of Public Affairs Chuck Thompson wrote over email.

鈥淪eparately, it's the debate commission who determines which media organization will host the official leaders debate. Any decisions around topics of the debate would be driven by the editorial group that will be producing it.鈥�

Speaking to the rally attendees, Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen said Our Time had been collecting signatures to push the debate commission to organize a climate debate. He said its response was 鈥渋t鈥檚 the broadcaster鈥檚 job.鈥�

Gagnon-van Leeuwen told Yellowknifer the rally was held at CBC because it鈥檚 a publicly-funded broadcaster with clout in the broader media landscape, and is also a large member of the debates commission.

鈥淭hey have the most power to push for a climate debate and a debate on the green new deal,鈥� he said.

Green Party nominee Paul Falvo also attended as a candidate, but said it wasn鈥檛 a partisan event. He added he supports a national leaders debate on the issue, saying that party leader Elizabeth should be in the national debates 鈥渢o put daylight on these issues.鈥� There should also be a local equivalent, he said.

One of the rally鈥檚 speakers, Neesha Rao, said the risk of no climate debate is 鈥渨e鈥檒l just have one question about the Kinder-Morgan pipeline. Trudeau will just talk about jobs and Andrew Scheer will just talk about the carbon tax and we won鈥檛 have a real conversation about climate change.鈥�

She said that while the green new deal is associated with progressive politicians in the US, she didn鈥檛 want it to alienate conservatives, liberals or non-voters.

One rally attendee, Jay Butler said he supports both an Amercian and a proposed Canadian green new deal. 鈥淭hey make an awful lot of sense,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t creates jobs, makes for a better environment.鈥�

鈥淚 have two kids around 20. Thirty years, I鈥檓 (not) going to be dealing with the fallout of this, but they will,鈥� he said.

Emma Butler, his daughter, said she was involved with the green team at her school and the recent student climate strikes. 鈥淎nything to move this cause forward, I鈥檓 there for,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I know any people around my age, any kids, who (don鈥檛 think) it鈥檚 important 鈥� to protect the environment,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 want to be a part of something that鈥檚 ensuring I have a good future in the same world I鈥檓 growing up in, not one that鈥檚 changed and ruined.鈥�