Roundup: Poilievre selects his echo chamber

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Yesterday, Pierre Poilievre held a media availability in the GTA, and if you ignore some of his more vacuous commentary, like claiming that he needs to cut government spending to bring down inflation when deficits never fuelled inflation in the first place, and the fact that inflation has already been tamed and is currently sitting below the 2 percent target, well, you get the drift. Nevertheless, what was particularly interesting was the fact that media who attended the event were told that they weren’t getting questions, and that only five pre-determined outlets would get questions—two far-right outlets, two ethno-cultural media outlets, and Radio-Canada.

This is clearly a strategy of speaking to an echo chamber who won’t push back on the kinds of horseshit he was peddling (like the inflation comments). It’s also noteworthy that in his interview with True North/Juno Media last week, Poilievre went on a tangent about how they should be allowed in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, and he claimed that Gallery-members are “government-approved,” when the government has zero say in who gets Gallery accreditation—the Gallery is self-governing, and we have determined that True North, Rebel, and other far-right outlets are not actually practicing journalism, but propaganda. (The Gallery has also determined that left-wing outlet PressProgress also doesn’t merit membership because it is run by the partisan Broadbent Institute). Nevertheless, Poilievre’s spokesperson went ahead and spun it as though Poilievre was oh-so available to the media while Mark Carney was not.

This is, of course, mendacious. Poilievre has been self-selective of his media availabilities, and has refused most legacy media outlets, particularly those who are inclined to push back against any of his complete and utter bunkum. And yes, we have seen similar tactics coming from Trump, who has been offering not only space for far-right outlets, but has kicked out established media outlets from their desks in the Pentagon to give them to the chuds who will mindlessly repeat his propaganda. Conservatives in this country have been moving in this direction for a while now, and for Poilievre to be so blatant about it is very telling.

Ukraine Dispatch

Russia launched 161 drones and a dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight Wednesday, targeting gas infrastructure in Kharkiv, and the power supply in Odesa. The media availability from Zelenskyy’s meeting with the new US envoy was changed to a photo op, and a chill has definitely set in.

https://twitter.com/defenceu/status/1892538057057878088

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau had a call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and reiterated the importance that Ukraine be at the table with any negotiations.
  • The federal government has listed seven criminal cartels as terrorist entities, per the agreement with Trump (not that we have additional enforcement capability).
  • Pascale St-Onge released her plan to reform the CBC, which includes statutory per capita funding, ad-free programming, and a commitment to impartial news.
  • Marc Miller is increasing the number of Sudanese refugees that can apply for resettlement, but the Quebec government refuses to accept family reunifications.
  • The federal government is taking a lithium company to court to force them to divest in a Canadian firm because they refuse to provide information on their ownership.
  • A CSIS report from May 2024 warns that violent extremist groups are using antisemitism as a recruitment tool.
  • Here’s a look at how Trump’s talk about Canada mirrors how Putin talks about Ukraine, particularly with talk about “artificial” borders and countries.
  • The Liberal Party had questions for Ruby Dhalla about some financial irregularities from her campaign (but the it was cast this as being about foreign interference).
  • Frank Bayliss continues to suffer under the illusion that Trump is a “businessman” and not a gangster, as he continues his “I’m a businessman!” shtick.
  • Pierre Poilievre’s remarks about First Nations resource royalties and using them to pay for clean water is drawing the ire of Indigenous leaders and activists.
  • Poilievre’s plans to cut foreign aid apparently don’t include Ukraine, but he won’t say anything about Afghanistan (which the Conservatives loved to crow about).
  • With Mark Carney rising in the polls, Jagmeet Singh is now attacking him in the media (because boy, that makes him look tough).
  • PEI premier Dennis King has announced his resignation, and the party’s interim leader will be sworn in as premier today while a leadership contest is upcoming.
  • Tom Nichols recaps that bizarre Hannity interview with Trump and Musk.
  • Anne Applebaum recounts the Trump administration’s moves in the past week, particularly with Ukraine, and what that is doing for the shifting global situation.
  • Luke LeBrun posits that shuttered news outlets and torqued social media algorithms are reasons why there is such little engagement in the Ontario election.

Odds and ends:

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