"Yes! Yes!" Green Leader Elizabeth May shouted yesterday afternoon as she heard the news she had been waiting for.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper had just announced he would not boycott the televised national leaders' debates if May were invited, minutes after New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton reversed his opposition to her participation.

Just a few hours later, after receiving confirmation that the broadcast consortium of CBC, Radio-Canada, CTV, Global and TVA would invite her to the podium, she shared her delight on television.

"I think what we're seeing is people are disenchanted with old-style politics," she said.

"They are sick of the partisanship that exceeds sense, the fact that people will do anything to convince the voter that they're the only party with good ideas," she said. "I'm not going to ever say that."

She was still smiling when she returned to her office in New Glasgow, N.S., a few minutes later, cars honking support as television cameras followed her down the street.

"I think they just underestimated the rage of their own support base," she said. "I think they realized their attempts to hurt me were doing maximum damage to their own fortunes and that's why they had to change."

A handful of Green party supporters showed up outside the General Motors plant in Oshawa, where Layton had promised $8.2 million over four years for "green-collar" jobs and keeping them in Canada.

"They call themselves the New Democratic Party and yet they're ignoring the wishes of a majority of Canadians?" said Cavan Gostlin, who sported an NDP sign with the D crossed out.

"How democratic is that?"

Layton publicly changed his mind while speaking to reporters after touring a solar panel manufacturing company in Scarborough.

He said he has found "the whole issue about debating about the debate" a distraction and said he will debate May or anyone else as long as Harper shows up.

"I have only one condition for this debate and that's the Prime Minister is there," Layton said.

Harper, through his spokesperson, changed his position on the debate within the hour.

"It appears the NDP have changed their mind," Harper's communications director Kory Teneycke told reporters yesterday afternoon. "We will not boycott the debate if the NDP wants her in."

The consortium that organizes the debates – to be broadcast Oct. 1 and 2 – had said Monday that it would not invite May to participate because three of the four major federal party leaders had threatened to boycott if she were there.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion had argued for May's inclusion, but had said he would not participate in the debates if Harper were to drop out.

Canadians reacted strongly to the decision, voicing outrage in thousands of comments posted to media websites and Facebook walls for several political leaders and parties. May said Tuesday she believed she would win her case in the court of public opinion.

Consortium spokesperson Jason MacDonald said the networks were able to change their decision once Harper and Layton changed theirs.

"While the broadcast networks could not compel (the leaders) to agree to our proposal, the Canadian public certainly could," MacDonald said.

Dion, who had agreed not to run a Liberal candidate against May in the riding of Central Nova, welcomed the development.

"I'm pleased that Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton backtracked. It was time. I don't understand why they weren't of this view at the beginning," Dion said.

"Everybody knows that the Green party represents something in this country. So it's good news."

The Bloc had told the consortium it preferred the debate to include only the four parties in the House of Commons, but would take part in the debate with or without Elizabeth May.