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2019 Canadian Federal Election

From 2015, at this link:

Postmedia let down readers by dictating election endorsements: Honderich

Never before in a federal election, in my memory, have newspaper endorsements become so controversial.
Topping the list unquestionably was Postmedia CEO Paul Godfrey’s dramatic order to all 16 major Postmedia papers across Canada to support Stephen Harper.

Each paper was allowed to write its own editorial, but the conclusion was preordained.

“Since God made babies, I think (endorsement editorials) were always made that way,” longtime Conservative Godfrey explained later, reacting to the uproar. “If anyone thinks otherwise, I think they were dreaming in Technicolor.”

Really, Mr. Godfrey?

You might want to examine the policies of other newspaper chains that tell an entirely different bedtime story of the so-called “proprietor’s prerogative.”

No one can dispute the tradition of an individual publisher or owner calling the election shots for their local paper. Godfrey did that regularly when he was publisher of the Toronto Sun.
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But to dictate the choice across an entire chain – and nation. That is an entirely different tale.

Consider the previous owners of Postmedia papers, the venerable Southam family.

It went to great lengths to emphasize individual publishers in each city were responsible for all editorial content, including election endorsements. “It was even in my letter of engagement,” remembers veteran Southam publisher Clark Davey. “It said what appeared in the (Vancouver) Sun rested on my conscience.”

The reason, of course, was self-evident. What was important or relevant to readers in Vancouver might not be so in Montreal, Ottawa or Windsor.

Owning a newspaper, in my view, is a privilege not a right. Nor is it the same as owning a pizzeria or car wash.

Newspapers are an essential informing part of the democratic process and their first responsibility must be to the local readers they serve.
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The old Thomson chain in Canada, owned by the richest family in the land, had a similar practice of non-interference in local editorial issues.

South of the border a similar tradition has existed for decades. In the last presidential election, America was a patchwork quilt of competing newspaper endorsements.

The huge Gannett chain states that “diversity is strength. By encouraging and expressing a mix of opinions, backgrounds, stories and ideas, Gannett improves results.”

An executive for the large Knight-Ridder chain put it more pithily. “We bought them (newspapers). But we don’t own them.”

In the interests of transparency, it must also be declared that editorial independence has always been the official policy of the Torstar newspaper group.

While the proprietors and publisher of the Toronto Star are involved in the Star’s election endorsements, the Hamilton Spectator, Waterloo Region Record and all 125 of Torstar’s community papers can decide for themselves.

So in the 2011 federal election, the Star supported Jack Layton’s NDP, while virtually all other Torstar papers endorsed Stephen Harper. In 2015, all the dailies came out for the Liberals under Justin Trudeau.

These aren’t dreams. They are black and white realities reflecting a long-held common tradition among North America’s major newspaper groups.

Mr. Godfrey, soon to be installed in the Canadian News Hall of Fame for his contribution to Canadian journalism, clearly has a different perspective.
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Media is biased as they report 'fake news'

Its they selectively choose to push or ignore certain stories for various reasons.
 
Admiral Beez said:
This western alienation thing makes no sense. You had representation in the federal government, but chose to abandon it and vote for a party that no one else in Canada was going to vote for and that had no chance of capturing government, and now you complain you have no representation in the federal government. Isn’t that a self inflicted wound?
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West had representation in the federal gov't in 2015. The demands of the west were to approve the 3 pipelines (TMP, Kittimat, and Energy East). Instead they got 2 of 3 cancelled and the other delayed. They also got Bill 48 that bogs down any resource development, and Bill 69, the anti-tanker law. If this is what representation gets you - may as well turf them and have opposition representation that actually cares about the province.
 
BurlOak said:
West had representation in the federal gov't in 2015. The demands of the west were to approve the 3 pipelines (TMP, Kittimat, and Energy East). Instead they got 2 of 3 cancelled and the other delayed. They also got Bill 48 that bogs down any resource development, and Bill 69, the anti-tanker law. If this is what representation gets you - may as well turf them and have opposition representation that actually cares about the province.
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If BC doesn’t want the pipeline, what does Alberta expect Ottawa to do? Declare oil of national interest and force BC to take the pipelines? Sounds like Alberta needs to persuade BC to coperate, same as Quebec does with Nfld on Labrador hydro.
 
Admiral Beez said:
Declare oil of national interest and force BC to take the pipelines? Sounds like Alberta needs to persuade BC to coperate, same as Quebec does with Nfld on Labrador hydro.
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They have nationalized things in the past somewhat when Petro Canada was created. Don't forget Petro Canada was at one time, a crown corporation created in response to foreign (at the time american) companies taking all the oil from Canada. Theoretically Canada could once again create a crown corporation to pump the oil in Alberta and create a pipeline in the national interest. This would then feed refineries across the nation.

Much more drastically they could nationalize the oil and gas industry much like they did in South America or Cuba. It would be bordering on communism but I honestly think people would be happy if they did. It may piss off foreign companies but it would please Alberta, the Maritimes, Ontario and the like.
 
So when the feds nationalised parts of the industry back when it was terrible for Albertans but now that they're nationalising pipelines and the Alberta government is running a command economy with production quotas, it's all good?

These people are huffing their product, it seems.
 
PinkLucy said:
It's ok, left-wingers characterize it as a right-wing conspiracy so it balances out.
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Which left-winger came into any Canadian Federal Election thread on UrbanToronto and randomly posted an article titled "I thought Britain had biased right-wing media - until I spent time in Canada" and declare that "The title says it all"? Which Democratic president declared the media as "The Enemy of the People"? I responded to specific things and you just respond with vague generalizations. It's like Transportfan (the guy who thinks that homosexuality and pedophilia are one part of a left-wing conspiracy) responding to a crack about the specific policies of a specific politician with an attack on all left-wingers in the Add "Eye Roll" to Reactions thread. It's all just vague generalizations and petty trivialities from you people.
 
doady said:
Which left-winger came into any Canadian Federal Election thread on UrbanToronto and randomly posted an article titled "I thought Britain had biased right-wing media - until I spent time in Canada" and declare that "The title says it all"? Which Democratic president declared the media as "The Enemy of the People"? I responded to specific things and you just respond with vague generalizations. It's like Transportfan (the guy who thinks that homosexuality and pedophilia are one part of a left-wing conspiracy) responding to a crack about the specific policies of a specific politician with an attack on all left-wingers in the Add "Eye Roll" to Reactions thread. It's all just vague generalizations and petty trivialities from you people.
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Did I say it happened here? I follow a number of political forums and have seen Liberal party members claim that Canadian media is right-wing biased. They have one meme in particular they like to share around.

And chill with the “you people”.
 
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