ValueSubtracted

joined 2 years ago
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I’m a senior reporter covering the Conservative campaign this week.

We've seen unprecedented efforts at message control from the Poilievre campaign that have broken with tradition in a number of ways.

The CPC is the only party to bar media from its campaign plane and buses. The Stephen Harper, Andrew Scheer and Erin O'Toole campaigns all allowed media to travel with the leader, and charged sometimes exorbitant amounts of money for the privilege. The other parties do the same, and also charge.

Poilievre takes fewer questions than other leaders, a maximum of four per event, and insists on choosing which reporters are allowed to ask. After a week following the campaign, neither I nor my CBC colleague Tom Parry have been permitted to ask any questions.

Sometimes, CPC staffers try to get reporters to say what they plan to ask — a question a reporter is not supposed to answer. However, we have seen local media pressured into answering. Obviously, if a reporter declines, that could factor into the decision of who gets to ask questions at all.

The decision on who asks questions is always last-minute. A CPC staffer holds the microphone, ready to pull it away. No follow-up questions are permitted.

On occasion, CPC staffers have gotten physical with journalists, such as on the public wharf at Petty Harbour, N.L., where there was pushing and shoving.

Today, in Trois-Rivières, we asked to be allotted a question. Party staffers said yes, so long as it was asked by my colleague Tom Parry. We responded that I would prefer to ask it. At that point the party took away our question and gave it to another outlet.

The difficulty of trying to keep up with a campaign that has its own chartered aircraft is a logistical problem that can be mitigated to some extent. But the extreme message control makes it all but impossible to bring the same level of accountability to the Poilievre campaign that other campaigns are subject to. It also protects the campaign from having to answer tough questions and is a marked departure from previous Conservative campaigns I have covered.

 

The overall security advice remains green, "take normal security precautions/"

 

Original headline: Chris Barber, Tamara Lich found guilty of mischief for roles in Freedom Convoy

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Honestly, I just couldn't find a Canadian news source that had run with a description of the call yet, so I figured I'd go looking for the PMO press release.

The leaders agreed to begin comprehensive negotiations about a new economic and security relationship immediately following the election. In the interim, the leaders agreed that conversations between the Minister of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Dominic LeBlanc, and the United States Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, will intensify to address immediate concerns.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's worth noting that in his statement on Truth Social, Trump dropped the "Governor" BS and called Carney the Prime Minister.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

We should never go back

I agree...but at some point, there will have to be normalization. Whatever that new normal ends up being.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've liked what Carney has said outside of the campaign - in his meetings with European leaders, he's been talking about this new status quo we find ourselves in as a permanent change in the global order, rather than a four-year blip.

On the campaign trail? I can't say that he's been particularly inspiring so far.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Sure, but I think...

Smith was, let's remember, a media pundit in her past career(s) — known to workshop or test-drive different ideas or theories live on air. Rhetorical spaghetti flung on the wall.

...covers that pretty effectively.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 1 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I don't think so. It delves a little into "politics as sports," which I never appreciate, but Jason Markusoff isn't prone to carrying water for Smith or the UCP.

Based on your description, I don't think your father would have qualified for MAID in its current form - recipients must be able to provide informed consent immediately before receiving medical assistance in dying, with very narrow exceptions.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 20 points 1 month ago (3 children)

That seems like a little much - there's plenty of foreign media that produces worthwhile content.

Blacklisting certain outlets, on the other hand...

He's not Mr. Right...but he is Mr. Right Now.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Dominion Review is a Canadian publication providing novel and dissenting perspectives on issues that matter to our country.

Oh.

And look at that, the site's editor has been published in...

-The Epoch Times (19 times!)

-The Financial Post (4 times)

-The Vancouver Sun (twice)

-The Western Standard

And other publications that I'm sure are highly esteemed and worth our time.

[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 32 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I guess they think "respectful and firm" is their best shot at taking a stand without alienating their base.

I don't think it's going to play.

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