On behalf of the Independent Press Gallery (IPG) and our accredited members, we express our grave concern over the abrupt and unexplained cancellation of Thursday night’s post-debate press scrum following the English-language leaders’ debate.
The Leaders’ Debates Commission — a publicly funded body with a mandate to serve the public interest and uphold journalistic independence — failed on both fronts. All IPG journalists present, were accredited through your own established process.
Despite this, some of our members were harassed, singled out, and verbally abused by other accredited journalists, simply for exercising their right to ask questions. The Commission chose to cancel the scrum rather than confront this unprofessional conduct — effectively punishing all media and Canadian voters to appease a few.
It is also unacceptable that Commissioner Michel Cormier appeared on a CBC broadcast before the scrum’s cancellation, fielding questions that disparaged independent journalists, and remarking there is only “so much we can do to control free speech.” It is not the Commissioner’s role to control speech — it is to protect the diversity of it.
Your mandate clearly states a commitment to the “principles of independence, impartiality, transparency, credibility and democratic citizenship.”
Suppressing the post-debate scrum and excluding non-legacy journalists contradicts these principles and infringes upon Section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects freedom of the press and the right to gather news without undue interference.
We therefore formally request:
- A full explanation for the cancellation of the press scrum;
- An apology to independent journalists who were mistreated;
- A public reaffirmation of the Commission’s commitment to equal access and press freedom;
- A review of the conduct of accredited journalists who undermined the spirit of fair and open media access.
The Canadian public deserves transparency — not censorship. We, the undersigned await your response.
Respectfully,
Sheila Gunn Reid, President, Independent Press Gallery of Canada
Candice Malcolm, Publisher, Juno News
William McBeath, Executive Director, True North Wire
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, Managing Editor, True North Wire
Ezra Levant, Publisher, Rebel News
Derek Fildebrandt, Publisher, Western Standard
Keean Bexte, Publisher, The Counter Signal