Debates commission unaware Rebel News registered as advocacy group, official says
Right-wing media including Rebel News dominated post-debate news conferences
The head of Canada's Leaders' Debates Commission said he "wasn't aware" that organizations linked to Rebel News had registered as a third-party advocacy group with Elections Canada before allowing its employees to take part in the post-debate news conferences.
Organizations, other than political parties, that want to fundraise and spend money on advertisements during the election in an effort to sway voters need to register with Elections Canada.
Typically these organizations, which Elections Canada calls third parties, are advocacy groups trying to push special interests.
Both Rebel News Network Ltd. and a group known as ForCanada — which is run by Rebel Media's Ezra Levant — have registered as third parties, according to Elections Canada's registry.
When questioned if the fact those groups were spending money on advocacy was considered, the commission's executive director said he didn't know they had registered as third parties.
"I wasn't aware of that," Michel Cormier told CBC's Power & Politics on Thursday.
During the 2019 and 2021 elections, Rebel News was part of a legal challenge that ultimately allowed it to obtain accreditation to cover the leadership debate.
Cormier said that during the 2021 court battle, the commission argued that Rebel had done political advocacy but that did not sway the judge. He said the commission was advised that they wouldn't win another court challenge, so decided against bringing the issue before a judge this time.
But Cormier said Rebel's status as a third party may have changed the commission's calculations, had they known.
"Perhaps, we have to analyze it. I just learned about this today," Cormier told host David Cochrane.
ForCanada has paid for an advertising truck — which has displayed messages suggesting Liberal Leader Mark Carney has been compromised by China and the World Economic Forum — has been spotted at a number of campaign events this election, including at the debates.
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.
Carney was the first leader to take 10 minutes of questions from the media after the debate, which took place at the Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal.
The news conference is overseen by the debates commission, an independent body that sets out the criteria parties must meet for their leaders to participate in the event. The organization is also responsible for accrediting journalists who participate in the Q&A session after the debates.
While the debate was hosted in a CBC/Radio-Canada building, the public broadcaster had no part in organizing the Q&A sessions that followed. It was responsible for choosing a venue and producing the debates for broadcast.
Members of the media lined up in two rows, one for English questions and one for French questions. Right-wing media outlets stacked the long lines and managed to get 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 who 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 Carney 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, Singh said: "You know where I'm gonna go with this though, right?" before repeating that he wouldn't answer questions from the outlet.
Rebel News put legal pressure on commission
Rebel News posted on its website Wednesday that it had mounted more legal pressure on the Leaders' Debates Commission this year to get questions to the leaders.
Poilievre, who followed Singh on Wednesday, 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.
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 Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said it seemed like the reporter already had the answer he wanted contained in his question. He also said Canada needs to reduce its consumption of oil because fossil fuels are destroying the planet.
The Rebel News representative asked Blanchet a second question on the topic, saying that his stance went against a poll that suggested Quebecers support the building of new pipelines. Smiling, Blanchet replied: "Don't you know my love for commenting polls? Have a nice evening."
The Green Party, which was uninvited 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.
The Leaders' Debates Commission decided to rescind its invitation to Green Party co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault, saying the party hadn't fulfilled two of three conditions for participation: having candidates in 90 per cent of ridings, polling at four per cent support 28 days before election day and having at least one sitting MP at dissolution.
Scrap debates commission, says former Harper official
Dimitri Soudas, former director of communications in Stephen Harper's PMO, told The Canadian Press that it's time to dismantle the Leaders' 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," Soudas said.
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.
Party leaders will face off in an English-language debate on Thursday.
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With files from The Canadian Press and Jenna Benchetrit