The Green Party of Ontario was turned down Friday by the federal broadcast regulator in its bid to take part in a televised leaders' debate next week.

Green leader Frank de Jong had been excluded from the Sept. 23 debate by a consortium of Ontario broadcasters, including CBC Television, on "editorial grounds," according to consortium spokesperson Peter Rehak.

The party complained to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which considered submissions from both groups before siding Friday with the broadcasters.

The consortium had cited a 1995 CRTC ruling, which said broadcasters were not obliged to include every party in debates.

The Greens argued that they have not been getting a fair amount of coverage during the campaign, even though they have candidates nominated in 102 of Ontario's 103 ridings for the Oct. 2 vote.

But the CRTC rejected that reason as a basis for adding de Jong to the debate between Tory leader Ernie Eves, New Democrat Howard Hampton and Liberal Dalton McGuinty.

"There is no evidence to suggest that they have not sought to, or will not, inform their audiences about the Green Party and its platform in a meaningful way," the ruling stated.

"On the basis of the record before us, we do not believe that there is any action that we should take in this regard at this time."