Poilievre lashes out at Bell Canada after CTV airs altered clip

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sharply criticized BCE Inc. on Tuesday after CTV News, which is owned by BCE, aired an edited clip that distorted his comments.

During a debate in the House of Commons regarding his non-confidence motion, Poilievre described CTV's Sunday news segment on the motion as "extremely dishonest" and "fraudulent."

He targeted Bell, referencing a recent decision by a rating agency to downgrade its credit rating to "near junk status." Poilievre accused CEO Mirko Bibic of being "overpaid," claimed he "empties the books to pay his wealthy friends," and stated that the company pays "an unacceptably and unrealistically high dividend."

Poilievre has consistently been critical of the media, particularly the Parliamentary Press Gallery, alleging that outlets like CTV, CBC, and the Canadian Press are pro-Liberal when their coverage does not align with his views.

However, it is uncommon for a senior politician like Poilievre to condemn a major publicly traded company like Bell in such strong terms, although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously criticized the company for what he termed a "garbage" decision to lay off journalists and media workers.

Poilievre implied, without providing evidence, that the news team behind the altered clip was acting on behalf of Bibic. “The reason why he and his other cronies at that company are going after me is because he knows that I'm standing up for the people against the crony capitalists and insiders like him,” Poilievre said.

According to Elections Canada records, Bibic has previously donated to the Conservative Party. In 2004, he contributed to a local Liberal candidate in Ottawa and also supported Jean Charest, Poilievre's main rival in the last Conservative leadership election, in 2022.

Poilievre's criticism follows CTV News's decision to edit his words during a scrum with reporters. The Conservatives allege that CTV spliced his comments in a way that suggested he was introducing a non-confidence motion—potentially leading to an early election—because he aimed to eliminate the Liberal government's nascent dental care program.

In his scrum, Poilievre stated, “That's why it's time to put forward a motion for a carbon tax election.” However, on the CTV broadcast, he was heard saying, “That's why we need to put forward a motion,” immediately following a segment where the reporter indicated there were “questions” about the future of dental care amid the looming non-confidence motion.

In a statement, a CTV spokesperson acknowledged that the network “presented a comment by the Official Opposition leader that was taken out of context.” The spokesperson added, “A misunderstanding during the editing process resulted in this misrepresentation. We unreservedly apologize to Mr. Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada.”

Bell has yet to respond to Poilievre's recent comments regarding the CEO and the company's motivations.

Sebastian Skamski, a spokesperson for Poilievre, dismissed CTV's apology as insufficient. “This wasn't a simple misunderstanding,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Until they explicitly acknowledge their malicious editing and omission of context to undermine Pierre Poilievre, Conservative MPs won't engage with CTV News and its reporters.”

Skamski shared a memo instructing the Conservative caucus to “refrain from engaging with CTV News, including participating in interviews, providing statements, or offering any form of commentary.”

Poilievre has not clarified his plans for dental care should he become prime minister and has not cited it as a reason to bring down the government.

He has called for a “carbon tax election” on whether to continue the Liberal government’s climate policy, which includes taxing fuels like oil and gas and rebating most of the proceeds to households. Poilievre contends that the continually rising tax offers questionable value, punishes consumers reliant on fossil fuels, and has repeatedly vowed to abolish the tax if elected.

Poilievre has been critical of Bell prior to this incident, highlighting its near-junk credit rating on social media just last week. He has also condemned the company for long wait times at call centers and accused it of seeking favorable regulatory treatment from the Liberal government.

While speaking to reporters at the UN General Assembly in New York, Trudeau emphasized the importance of journalists challenging those in positions of authority. “It's absolutely essential that we always defend the freedom and independence of the media,” he stated. “Politicians who deliberately undermine the legitimacy and hard work of professional journalists are not standing up for democracy and are certainly not standing up for freedom.”

Bell, one of Canada’s largest companies, is currently facing significant challenges. The company has accrued debt as it invests in upgrading its network and infrastructure. Its stock has declined recently as investors express concerns over its ability to repay nearly $40 billion in debt amid high interest rates while also maintaining sizable dividends for shareholders.

Moody's, a leading ratings agency, has raised alarms about the company's high debt levels and downgraded its credit rating in August to the lowest tier above junk-bond status.