Former Conservative cabinet minister John Baird has criticized the CBC for manipulating his remarks during an event where he introduced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In a tweet, Baird accused the publicly funded broadcaster of using his praise of Trudeau’s “political acumen” to create discord within the Conservative Party. He called for the defunding of the CBC, stating that political success does not equate to competent leadership of Canada.
Baird, who served as the Canadian co-chair of the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum, introduced Trudeau at the event in Toronto. He referred to the prime minister as one of the most successful political leaders of their generation. The CBC reported on the introduction with a headline that emphasized Baird’s support for Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, calling Trudeau one of Poilievre’s “most prominent supporters.”
The article, however, did not provide the full context of Baird’s introduction. It mentioned that Baird had endorsed Poilievre’s leadership bid and served as the national co-chair of his campaign. The CBC also noted that Baird balanced his praise of Trudeau with a joke, but only reported part of it. Baird had recounted a taxi ride in the Philippines where the driver expressed admiration for Trudeau, referring to him as the APEC ‘hottie.’ This anecdote was omitted in the CBC’s reporting.
When contacted for comment, the CBC did not respond immediately. Baird’s criticism of the broadcaster aligns with Poilievre’s well-known stance on the CBC’s alleged pro-Liberal bias. Poilievre has consistently accused the public broadcaster of serving as a mouthpiece for Trudeau’s government and has clashed with CBC President Catherine Tait.
In response to Tait’s comments about “CBC bashing” by some Canadians, Poilievre claimed that she was openly biased and used the $1.2 billion corporation to launch partisan attacks against him. Tait had stated in an interview that some Canadians perceived the CBC as a mouthpiece for the Liberal government.
In conclusion, former Conservative cabinet minister John Baird has criticized the CBC for manipulating his introduction of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at an event. He accused the public broadcaster of attempting to create discord within the Conservative Party and called for the defunding of the CBC. Baird’s criticism echoes the well-known stance of Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who has accused the CBC of bias and clashed with the CBC President Catherine Tait. The CBC has not responded to Baird’s criticism at this time.
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