Poilievre’s Media Accessibility – Not as Advertised

Courtesy: Canadian Press / Chris Tanouye

The Conservative Party of Canada and their leader Pierre Poilievre promised “one of the most accessible and transparent [election] campaigns in recent memory.”  So far, they've failed in that objective – by limiting media access, manipulating reporter questions & shunning outlets that criticize the party or their candidates.

The CPC started their campaign by breaking with the tradition of including media on the campaign bus & plane. For decades, media companies have paid for their employees to travel with party leaders during election campaigns. This was the CPC statement on restricting that access, which brazenly includes the promise of accessibility:

When it comes to daily press conferences, Pierre Poilievre only answers 4 pre-selected questions per day. There are never follow-up questions allowed, and the 4 news outlets are selected AFTER journalists submit their questions to the party. CBC’s Evan Dyer provides more detail in this report:

At a press conference in April, one reporter used their lone question to ask Poilievre why he limits media to 4 questions per presser, and in a bold extension of the question, she asked if his policy was due to fear. Poilievre said he wasn’t scared, then avoided the meat of the question by veering into a rant about the Liberal Party. Here’s that exchange (mostly in French):

The 4-question policy has led to Poilievre taking far fewer questions than leaders from the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois. This chart shows those three leaders are answering at least 10 questions per day through April 4th, compared to our Conservative leader who averages just over 4 per day:

The lack of respect for media from the CPC, rears its head at every occasion. During a news conference in Sault Ste. Marie in early April, reporters were caged up in a small 8x8 meter area, despite having a wide-open parking lot all around them. Here’s CTV’s Judy Trinh showing the scene:

At that same news conference, Trinh was not given one of the 4 pre-selected questions, but she shouted out a follow-up question anyway - asking why Poilievre won’t get his security clearance? In response, the candidate for Prime Minister refers to this credentialed journalist, as a protestor:

It’s worth noting that Trinh is a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. She has asked Poilievre many questions over the course of their careers. But this is part of a larger pattern of disrespect towards certain media members – many of which notably, are women. In Edmonton, Poilievre was asked about his message reaching different demographics. His response was off topic, condescending and sounded very much like something a Donald Trump brag:

The data tells the story of Poilievre’s preferred media outlets. Reporters who write critically of him are given virtually no access. The CBC has not been allowed to ask Poilievre a question since March 27th. The Conservative candidate has vowed to defund the CBC, despite polls showing that would be an unpopular move. On the other hand, Toronto Sun’s Brian Lilley (a strong Poilievre supporter) has been given more questions than CTV and CBC combined since March 23rd:

The Hill Times' Stuart Benson wrote an outstanding article on the Poilievre's relationship with media. In that piece Benson wisely points out “Poilievre’s strategy of limiting media access is far more suited to a campaign with a 20-point lead rather than a two-party horse race.”