Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre disgraced his office when he defended Rebel News this week, whose representative was arrested while asking questions of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
• Also read: The Rebel News commentator had already been arrested at the request of the Conservatives
After the arrest of David Menzies, who is not part of his first escapades, Mr. Poilievre lamented on the X network the “state of press freedom” in Canada “after eight years of Trudeau.” He claims the government has divided the media into two groups: those it would buy with subsidies and those it would censor and shut down.
His party also launched an online petition calling for an “end to Justin Trudeau's regime of censorship and arrest of journalists.”
Small annoyance
However, Mr. Poilievre should have some shame before giving lessons on freedom of the press. “The opposition leader also sometimes tends not to answer questions or denigrate journalists if he doesn't like the questions,” observes Jean-Christophe Boucher, associate professor of political science at the University of Calgary. “It’s a bit,” he said, “like a hospital that doesn’t care about charity.”
“It's a bit surreal,” says Pierre Trudel, a lawyer and full professor at the Public Law Research Center (CRDP) at Laval University's law school.
The latter reminds us that freedom of the press is protected in Canada, as in other democratic countries, but is not absolute and is limited by law. Personal safety is also considered an appropriate limit, he says.
No responsibility
The problem with right-wing extremist groups like Rebel Media is that they claim the rights that come with it, but don't want to take responsibility, explains Mr. Boucher.
They are not transparent about who funds them and who owns them. They also do not disregard ethical rules such as care in sharing information, checking sources and others that should apply in a liberal democracy.
Professor Boucher is also noticing an increase in Rebel News lawsuits (he is being targeted because of his work).
Nevertheless, he believes it is essential to continue to be interested in them and to document them.
By promoting disinformation and contributing to the promotion of intolerance, Rebel News and its ilk indeed pose a threat to our democratic institutions. This is what Pierre Poilievre should worry and denounce.