TVA Says Federal Parties Have to Pay Total of $300K for Head-to-Head French Debate

(L-R) Former Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe, then-Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, journalist Pierre Bruneau, then-Conservative leader Stephen Harper and ex-NDP leader Tom Mulcair pose for photos before the start of a French-language debate broadcast by Quebec's TVA network in Montreal on Oct. 2, 2015. The Canadian Press/POOL-Joel Lemay

If the four main federal political parties want to take part in the TVA network’s head-to-head French-language debate in the upcoming election campaign, they will have to shell out $75,000 each.

The Quebecor-owned television network says it needs cash to offset the costs of producing the Face-à-Face debate, which is divided into segments pitting one leader against another.