On January 15, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made a stop in Quebec to meet several of his supporters.
Last week, Rebel News reporter David Menzies was unjustly arrested for asking a question of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in Quebec, traditional media sparked controversy within the population by using terms like ‘influencer’ or ‘troublemaker’ to describe our journalist.
The only federal leader to denounce this arrest was Mr. Poilievre, who posted on X: “This is the state of freedom of the press. In Canada. In 2024. After 8 years of Trudeau.”
When we asked Poilievre’s supporters for their opinions on the media’s reaction to the arrest, and what their thoughts were on the state of freedom of the press in Canada, many agreed there is a significant problem.
This is the state of freedom of the press.
In Canada. In 2024.
After 8 years of Trudeau. pic.twitter.com/7EpRW0fulX
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 9, 2024
“So very surprised by this double standard, firstly. And secondly, I’m a bit worried about freedom of expression,” said one of the attendees. He added, “I’m a lawyer by training, and for some years now, there has been the pandemic, there are trends, I would say, a vicious trend, and it creates dangerous precedents because we lower the bar each time, and after that, it doesn’t go back up. So, it worries me.”
While the Conservative Party of Canada has held a firm lead in polls across the country, the situation is quite different in Quebec.
WATCH: Former leader of the NDP, Tom Mulcair, accuses Rebel News of being troublemakers.
Also says Rebel News is under the influence of the CPC?https://t.co/ss1CLHdf11 pic.twitter.com/tCcnxBWglO
— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) January 11, 2024
A survey conducted in December 2023 and published by the polling firm Léger shows that in Quebec, the Bloc Québécois leads among voters’ intentions with 29%, followed by the Liberals with 28% and the Conservatives with 21%.
When asked why Quebecers consistently support the Bloc Québécois and the Liberals, one of Poilievre’s backers said, “There’s a media consumption habit that is very francophone. So obviously, there are more and more bilingual people who can switch from one language to another. But many are used to getting information from our Quebec media, and our Quebec media are essentially either behind the Bloc or behind the Liberals.”
Sondage fédéral de Léger, Québec seulement:
⚜️BQ 29%
🔴LPC 28%
🔵CPC 21%
🟠NDP 12%
🟣PPC 4%
🟢GPC 3%[Léger, 15-17 décembre 2023, n=354 (sous-échantillon)]#canpoli pic.twitter.com/EIlFllABFE
— Philippe J. Fournier (@338Canada) December 20, 2023
Some believe the Bloc Québécois trend in Quebec is due to an old political trend, where people are stuck with old mentalities. Another explanation could be a lack of political education among the population.
Another attendee explained the impact of the mainstream media in Quebec: “When they talk about Pierre Poilievre, they always try to bring in elements of right-wing conspiracy, compare Pierre Poilievre to Donald Trump. It’s really unrelated.”
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