Pierre Poilievre will defend the media — but only when it suits him

The true test of one’s principles, it’s said, is if you can stand up for them on behalf of an institution you don’t like. In that spirit, then, perhaps Pierre Poilievre is looking to be congratulated for standing up for the rights of the media — not exactly his favourite establishment. The Conservative leader is that a Rebel News representative was for trying to intercept Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and ask her some questions about Canada’s stance on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

David Menzies, found himself arrested after colliding with a member of Freeland’s security detail in Richmond Hill, Ont. on Monday. Menzies was later freed without charges and the RCMP is reviewing the incident. A review is likely warranted. Video of the encounter shows that Menzies was more on the receiving end of the scuffle that broke out with police, and Freeland — unfortunately no stranger to hostile encounters in public — did not look like she was in any imminent danger.

“The arrest of the Rebel News reporter was made by the Prime Minister’s RCMP security detail. York Regional Police officers assisted as the interaction took place in our region,” Const. Lisa Moskaluk, a media relations officer with York police, told the Star on Tuesday. “It was determined that no credible security threat existed and the subject was released unconditionally shortly thereafter.” Most journalists would probably welcome the RCMP review.

It has been disturbing to many of us how politicians and journalists have become targets of corrosive public behaviour; however, we also want to make sure the police don’t overreact. But this occurrence is pay dirt for Rebel News, which is fundraising off the video, and the Conservative party too, which is using the encounter to gather up data in a petition drive.

Monday, make no mistake, was a good day for the Conservative rage baiting machine. Unsurprisingly, for those familiar with the Conservative script, this all happened because of Justin Trudeau. “Be it resolved that we the undersigned call on Justin Trudeau to stop his regime of censorship and of arresting journalists who dare to ask questions he doesn’t like,” .

It shouldn’t be necessary to point out that prime ministers don’t have the authority to arrest people or the power of censorship — at least not yet in this country. Donald Trump is looking for those powers in his revenge campaign to regain the White House, but that’s another story. Generally, in my experience, when politicians don’t like the media’s questions, they just ignore them, or walk away from the microphone.

Poilievre is a bit of an exception — he likes to mock his questioners or even bully them on occasion. He is vowing to undertake massive cuts to the CBC and his team enforces boycotts of appearances on shows he doesn’t like — CBC’s Power and Politics, for instance. But he’s against censorship, or so he says.

Back in April, Poilievre also thought it was a good idea to proprietor of X/formerly Twitter, and demand that CBC be labelled as “government funded media.” He also appeared to in last year’s announcement of big cuts and job losses at the CBC. When the Conservative leader believes he’s got the better of a media questioner, he likes to boast.

A video of him munching an apple while fielding questions from Don Urquhart, editor of the Times Chronicle in Victoria, went viral, titled “How do you like them apples?” Add all of this up, and the conclusion is pretty clear. Poilievre regards the media essentially as a prop: useful to him as a battering ram, in the case of CBC and most mainstream outlets (including this one), or as a vehicle to raise funds or gather data.

Menzies from Rebel News doesn’t seem to mind being a prop in his own stories. Back in 2021, he also got arrested at an event with Melissa Lantsman, now Poilievre’s deputy leader. In this incident, Lantsman, then a candidate in Thornhill, alleged that Menzies was being aggressively homophobic in his questioning of her.

He also was removed from an event with former leader Andrew Scheer in 2019. If Rebel News blamed Trudeau for any of those interceptions, I could not find any record of such. Nevertheless, unlikeable as his tactics and his so called journalism may be, Menzies probably should not have been detained while doing his job.

That, again, is the test of principles such as freedom of the press; you have to stand up for it, even if the target is not someone you like. In the same spirit, perhaps the Conservative leader’s new crusade for Menzies is a part of a New Year’s resolution — to stand by media freedom, of all kinds, even the media he doesn’t like.

We’ll look forward to Poilievre’s future advocacy for the CBC..