Rebel News, other right-wing media dominate press conferences after French debate

Liberal Leader Mark Carney speaks to the press after the French-language leaders' debate in Montreal on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter McCabe

OTTAWA — Rebel News and other right-wing media outlets dominated the question-and-answer sessions with federal party leaders after Wednesday’s French-language leaders debate -- though not all of them got answers to their questions.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney was the first leader to take 10 minutes of questions from the media after the debate, which took place at CBC/Radio-Canada in Montreal.

Members of the media lined up in two lines, one for English questions and one for French questions. Right-wing media outlets stacked the long lines and managed to get in questions to each of the leaders.

Carney received a question from a Juno News reporter who said his campaign is based on putting the Liberal leader in front and “hiding” people that were close to former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

In his reply, Carney called the question “rather odd” but said his team includes both new and experienced candidates.

Carney also received a question from a representative from True North, a conservative media outlet. The reporter asked him how many genders there are, to which he responded that “in terms of sex, there are two.” The reporter then asked if Carney believed that biological women have the right to their own spaces. Carney said that “as a general objective, yes,” and that his government values all Canadians.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who was next to speak with reporters, refused to answer questions from Rebel News representatives and said the organization spreads disinformation.

When a second reporter from the same organization came to the mic, he said “You know where I’m gonna go with this though, right?” before repeating that he wouldn’t answer questions.

Rebel News posted on its website Wednesday that it had mounted legal pressure on the Leaders’ Debates Commission to have greater access in order to get more questions to the leaders.

In an April 11 letter, which Rebel shared on its website, the commission’s executive director Michel Cormier wrote that he would allow Rebel to send five reporters to the scrums, “rather than devote further resources towards answering your letters and a potential injunction, which is neither necessary nor in the public interest.” Rebel’s lawyers had threatened to seek an injunction the day before.

A truck displaying anti-Carney ads on screens drove by the event site as leaders arrived Wednesday. Authorized by ForCanada -- which describes itself as a registered third-party campaign group and was founded by Rebel Media’s Ezra Levant -- the truck displayed messages suggesting Carney has been compromised by China and the World Economic Forum.

Poilievre did take questions from Rebel News.

He said his party is the only one willing to protect the freedom of the press, that he stands for free speech and respects the right of Canadians to have access to the media they choose.

He has also promised to defund the CBC.

Poilievre’s availability to media during the election campaign has come under scrutiny. Reporters have been able to ask few questions, with members of his team choosing who can ask them.

Answering a question from Rebel News about pipelines, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said it seemed like the reporter already had the answer he wanted to write in his article. He also said Canada needs to reduce its oil consumption because people are destroying the planet.

The Rebel News representative asked him a second question on the topic, saying that his stance went against a poll that suggested Quebecers support the building of new pipelines. Blanchet, smiling, said, “Don’t you know my love for commenting on polls? Have a nice evening.”

The Green Party, which was disinvited from the debates, posted on social media saying something “doesn’t add up” about the large number of questions from right-wing organizations.

“Why is the Green Party being silenced by the Debate Commission while Rebel News and True North get press credentials? Something doesn’t add up,” the party said.

In another statement Thursday the party said the commission was “making a mockery of our democracy.”

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault was initially approved by the commission to take part in the debates but that invitation was rescinded first thing Wednesday morning, about 11 hours before the debate was to begin.

The three conditions for participation include having candidates in 90 per cent of ridings, polling at least at four per cent support 28 days before election day and having at least one sitting MP at dissolution.

Four weeks before election day the Greens had three per cent support in national polls, but they held two seats when Parliament was dissolved, and submitted the names of 343 candidates they intended to nominate to run in every riding.

But when the official Elections Canada candidates’ list was released last week it included only 232 Green Party candidates.

The commission initially defended the decision to include the Greens after the official candidates list was released, but ultimately changed its mind on Wednesday.

Dimitri Soudas, former director of communications in Stephen Harper’s PMO, told The Canadian Press that it’s time to dismantle the Debates Commission and allow broadcasters “to take over again.”

“They just keep putting a new nail onto their coffin,” Soudas said, arguing it handled the Green Party situation unprofessionally.

“Tonight, I understand and I can sympathize and I can accept you want to allow for non-traditional media to be a part of the media room, but they literally allowed one news organization to monopolize the majority of the questions to the leaders. Let me put it bluntly: I don’t think the Debates Commission can organize a two-car funeral.”

The French-language leaders debate was abruptly rescheduled to minimize a conflict with a Montreal Canadiens hockey game. In a statement, Radio-Canada and the Leaders’ Debates Commission said they were “recognizing Canadians’ passion for hockey” in their decision to move the debate.

Campaigning in Montreal Thursday, Carney was asked whether he thinks there’s value in the commission, and he said having an independent body set the rules has value.

“Some of the decisions, I’m sure, will be called into question but I don’t think it’s for the political leaders to be making those determinations,” he said.

The commission has not responded to questions from The Canadian Press.

Party leaders will face off in an English-language debate on Thursday.

With files from Kyle Duggan and David Baxter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2025.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press