OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Tuesday vowed to blacklist all journalists belonging toÌýone of the country’s largest news networks after an incident in which his remarks were manipulated.
The editing of the CTV news broadcastÌýitem created the erroneous impression that Poilievre wanted to introduce a motion declaring lost confidence in Justin Trudeau’s minority government because the Opposition leader wanted to scrap the Liberals’ dental coverage program.
The clip of Poilievre that misrepresented his comments and was used in the segmentÌýalso appeared to be altered, combining words contained in a longer comment made by the leader that blasted the “NDP-Liberal government†for the economic and public safety woes he said had been inflicted upon Canadians.
In reality, the Conservative leader had said he was putting forward a motion to trigger a “carbon tax election.â€
But Poilievre’s vow to blacklist the journalistsÌýis a “direct attack†on Canada’s democracy, the Liberal government’s Heritage Minister, Pascale St-Onge, told the Star Wednesday several days after the CTV news segment aired.
On Monday, CTV issued an apology for taking Poilievre’s remarks “out of context,†and attributed the error to a “misunderstanding during the editing process.â€Ìý
But the mea culpa didn’t fly with the Conservatives; Poilievre’s spokesperson demanded that until the network directly acknowledged its “malicious editing and omission of context to undermine Pierre Poilievre, Conservative MPs won’t engage with CTV News and its reporters.â€
The incident is the latest dust up between Poilievre and mainstream news outlets, who have had a fraught relationship with the Conservative leader since he won the party’s top job in 2022.Ìý
In the days since CTV’s error, Poilievre has accused the network of favouring the Liberals in its coverage, a claim the Conservative leader has also previously falsely levied against other outlets including the CBC, The Canadian Press and the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star.Ìý
St-Onge told the Star that while CTV contradicted its journalistic ethics, the network upheld its “obligation to rectify†the oversight.
That’s why she believes the decision to implement a blanket ban for a singular mistake and dictate the terms of CTV’s apology is “totally disrespectful to our institutions.â€
“Politicians and people in power, they have a duty to participate in public debates, and they have a responsibility to explain themselves and to answer questions,†St-Onge said.
In a statement to the Star, Poilievre’s office said: “CTV News did not apologize.
“Rather, they tried to excuse their malicious mischaracterization, removal of context, and unethical splicing of Mr. Poilievre’s comments as a simple ‘misunderstanding during the editing process.’ We expect fairness, accuracy, and accountability in how our positions are represented by the media,†the statement read.
“It’s no surprise that Trudeau’s Liberal MPs and ministers are faithfully defending their loyal allies in the media when they are provided favourable coverage thanks to CTV’s blatantly unethical journalistic malpractice designed to undermine our common sense position.â€
St-Onge said Poilievre’s condemnation of mainstream Canadian news outlets also falls flat because of the numerous instances in which he uses graphics of their news headlines in social media posts to bolster his political agenda.
“He uses coverage when it helps his profile, when it goes hand-in-hand with his ego,†she said.
“But whenever there’s a critique or ... a journalist asks difficult questions that he doesn’t want to answer, then he throws them under the bus and intimidates (them).â€
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