Decision to reduce PM’S briefings criticized

OTTAWA • The decision by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to begin winding down his daily press briefings could further erode government oversight at a crucial time in the COVID-19 pandemic, democracy experts and an opposition MP said.

Trudeau on Monday announced that he would be reducing his daily briefings to the public — dismissed as a “morning show” by his political opponents — to a few days a week. The prime minister stressed that he would “keep regularly updating Canadians on how this virus is progressing” and said the public must “continue to follow local public health guidelines” as threats from the virus persist.

The briefings have served as Trudeau’s main communication channel since the pandemic struck in early March, regularly receiving millions of views. A Facebook stream of the prime minister’s updates to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), for example, garnered 1.6 million views alone.

While critics panned the briefings as an inadequate substitute for regular parliamentary sessions in recent months, the decision to pare back the briefings only adds to a lack of oversight — at a time when Ottawa is spending more than $150 billion on financial aid programs.

Kathy Brock, a professor of political studies at Queen’s University, said the decision by the prime minister to trim back his daily briefings was “worrisome,” as it comes amid increased fears of a second wave of the virus. “Now, by further reducing the public briefings, it again limits accountability,” Brock said.

While it is typical for governments to step back from public view in the summer months, she said it is “regrettable right now, given where we are with respect to COVID-19.”

She said the powers available to Parliament are largely not replaced by the press briefings, which involve a select number of questions from media. Federal parties agreed unanimously to suspend Parliament in early March, and had only limited in-person sessions in the following four months, even as Ottawa rolled out unprecedented spending measures.

“Parliamentary scrutiny is very important because Parliament can compel documents, it can force ministers to appear before committee, and they can embarrass the government if it is not forthcoming with information,” Brock said. “That transparency is very important to our system.”

Briefings by Canada’s public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam, her deputy Dr. Howard Njoo and federal ministers will also be reduced to a few days a week.

Candice Bergen, house leader for the Conservatives, said the “morning show” briefings have served as a platform for Trudeau to make “campaign-style announcements” directly to voters. Questions by media often come from people who “act more like star-struck fans than objective and critical journalists,” she said, and lack deep knowledge of parliamentary procedure and legislation.

Bergen said she supported the initial decision to suspend Parliament in early March, amid deep uncertainty about the spread of the virus. But she said politicians could easily have had limited in-person sessions in the House of Commons from May to the end of June.

The decision by Trudeau also comes as his popularity rises in a number of polls.

Lori Turnbull, professor of political science at Dalhousie University, said the uniquely personal nature of televised briefings can be beneficial to politicians, as they allow leaders to directly address potential voters.

“It makes the person look very authoritative, in charge, unchallenged — it’s a good position for a leader to be in,” she said.

The briefings were particularly useful for Trudeau when the government was announcing major financial aid measures, which “allows the prime minister to personally deliver messages about benefits that could potentially boost his popularity,” Turnbull said.

BY FURTHER REDUCING THE PUBLIC BRIEFINGS, IT AGAIN LIMITS ACCOUNTABILITY.