Pierre Poilievre is playing his victim card. He claims that the head of the CBC is picking on him. Michael Harris writes:
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is now slagging the president of the CBC. What is Catherine Tait’s sin? According to Poilievre, Tait has unleashed a “partisan attack” against him. In other words, she has criticized him.
What Tait said was all the more offensive to Poilievre because it is true. The Conservative leader has, after all, shown a distinct bias against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. As part of his populist iconoclasm, Poilievre has promised to get rid of the public broadcaster. All Tait did was remind readers of The Globe and Mail that Poilievre’s sloganeering is not designed to raise public consciousness, just money.
In the current dust-up, Poilievre has travelled from the contrived to the absurd. Stephen Harper’s handpicked choice for party leader ludicrously declared that Tait’s comments about him “prove” his contention that the CBC is the “mouthpiece” of Justin Trudeau.
This kind of rhetoric is commonplace on The Right these days:
That is Marjory Taylor Greene logic. It is also a mammoth slander of the over 7,000 people who work at the corporation, including a stable of fine journalists. Does he really think all those journalists could fit in Trudeau’s pocket? Now Poilievre is once again soliciting money from the public to help him “go around” the CBC.
Everyone should pay attention to those words. The Conservative Party is fond of perpetuating the myth that the media is against them, and more than that, that it carries a brief for the Liberals. The party often describes its aversion to the media as an attempt to get its message out to Canadians without the “filter” of journalists. That is hogwash. Their real issue is not getting their message out unfiltered. It is getting their message out unquestioned.
These days, conservative politicians don't have facts on their side. So they make a lot of noise.
Image: BrainyQuote
14 comments:
The Lügenpresse smear is an old one, Owen. The Cons have been "working the refs" for years, trying to make the media think twice before reporting things that make them look bad. Even after Harper had appointed every CBC board member, the Cons claimed the organization had a liberal bias. Grifters gonna grift, liars gonna lie.
It really is hard to believe a word they say, Cap.
Owen, Cap is bang on with Grifters gonna grift, liars gonna lie. In those processes these cons sucker in a lot of loud and stupid people. RG
These guys know their marks, RG. And the marks put them on easy street.
If only the CBC was worth fighting for.
@ Owen
It really is hard to believe a word they say
If they say the sun is rising in the East, get a second opinion from an astronomer.
We think it is, PoV.
They traffic in conspiracy theories, jrk -- convinced they are victims.
To NPoV: If you have ever lived “in the North” (in my case, in Kitimat, BC) you may find, as I did, the quality of local private radio to be bloody awful. The weekend broadcasts were imported from some midwestern state - Minnesota, if I remember correctly, where we heard some local tidbits pertaining to a place 3000+ klix away.
CBC’s news was a good, informative mixture of world, national, provincial, regional and local happenings.
Their early morning programming has different topics everyday as they interview local or regional experts on varying topics that will interest most listeners at varying degrees, that keep you wanting to tune in, as you usually learn something new.
When politicians likePierre Poilievre scream out that they will get rid of the CBC, one has to ask why. Maybe the CBC’s reporting scares him, therefore make the CBC the boogey-man and shut them down.
In my opinion, the CBC should be kept, as it gives our country good service. DJF
Poilievre's beef with the CBC is that it is a public broadcaster, DJF. He's suspicious of any public service.
Sadly, I don’t have a spare 1,000 $ or so for a number of PayWall Subscriptions, Owen ! Sadly too, there are only 24 hours in the ‘Day’ ! Currently, I spend 1/2 my time reading & gleaning - 1/2 ‘writing’.. much of it via Twitter.. much if it my own ‘Memoir Stylings’ plus my Short & Long form Fictions. Oh yes.. I have an Archive of perhaps 5,000 - 10,000 photos to review/scan ‘selects’ etc etc..
Your subsequent Post yesterday, plus one of Lorne’s twigged my radar..
It’s becoming a great concern to me.. in my dotage.. exactly where/how & why.. Canadians ‘get there opinions & beliefs’ .. Where is ‘The Gittin Place’ (from the wondrous book/film - All The Pretty Horses)
In that vein.. I realize as artist & writer - I wish to run a Media stagecoach ‘way station’ - oh yes I do ! The idea being, the stagecoach arrives to change horse teams, grab a bite o grub, relieve themselves, catch up on news brought by stagecoaches running in the opposite direction.. Well we know this story well
Put another way Owen.. If 70% of Canada’s Mainstream Media is Owned/Operated by those of CURRENT Conservative uh.. ‘leanings’.. what then ? Do we gain opinions/beliefs from religious pulpits or temples ? Family talk ? Neighbourhood gossip ? At the hockey or curling rink ? In local pubs ?
Harper executed ‘a hostile Brand take over’ to gain the 33% Progressive Conservative ‘Vote The Party’ cohort.. who’s rationale appears to be ‘like Dad & Mom & their Dad & Mom did’..
Kenney did the same in Alberta.. Just look at what that ‘kind of maybe Christian’ Missionary Stephen Harper & his Immaculate cabin boy Ray Novak are exporting world wide.. now !
Perhaps I’ll coin it all as ‘Opinion/Belief Uptake’ .. Where is ‘the Gittin Place’ ? 🦎
Where you "git" your information is absolutely critical, sal.
Well here goes, CBC News is far more conservative in its stance on many issues. The last time I watched their political news segment was during the NAFTA hearings. Rather a hoot apparently making jokes about the ISDS clause.
If Harper can (back in his political day) be literally declared by the Globe and Mail as the (quoting best from memory-here ) worst Prime Minister in Canadian history, along with an accompanying critique,; without any real response, then I don't see why Pierre Poilievre can be this upset?
Poilievre holds the media in contempt, Marg -- as Harper did. There was a reason why Harper refused to go to the parliamentary press gallery dinner.
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