Ignatieff accepts Rick Mercer debate offer

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has accepted an offer from comedian Rick Mercer to take part in a one-on-one debate with Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

Harper has yet to respond to the popular television personality, whomused on his Twitter accounton Friday night about moderating a debate between the two leaders.

Harperhad earlierspoken about the possibility of aone-on-one debate, butthen distanced himself from the idea and said he accepts the judgment of the broadcast network consortiumto havetwo four-leader debates.

Mercer tweetedlate Friday nightthat he would rent Toronto's Massey Hall for the showdown.

"Ok hell i will rent massey put the cameras in place and moderate the Harper Iggy smackdown," Mercer tweeted.

He followed it several minutes later with "Ok i'll produce a Iggy Harper debate. 50 grand to a charity of their choice. I'll find a broadcaster or 4."

Ignatieff responded Saturday afternoon, also on Twitter: "I'm in."

The Liberal leader then tweeted that he wanted the charity money to go to the Alzheimer Society. Ignatieff's mother succumbed to Alzheimer's disease in 1992.

The broadcast consortium debates involving Harper, Ignatieff, NDP Leader Jack Layton and BlocQubcois Leader Gilles Duceppe will take place April 12 in Englishand April 14 in French.

The broadcast consortiumcomprises representatives of CBC/Radio-Canada, CTV, Global and TVA.Both debates will take place in Ottawa. The English debate willbemoderated by TVO journalist Steve Paikin, while the French debate will be co-moderated by Radio-Canada's Anne-Marie Dussault and TVA's Paul Larocque.

Both Layton and Duceppe have dismissed the idea of a one-on-one debate between Harper and Ignatieff.