Juno News forcibly removed from Carney cabinet retreat ahead of Zelenskyy visit
“I was allowed to question Liberal ministers all day, but when it came to Zelenskyy, I was forcibly removed from the property,” wrote Keean Bexte.
Juno News reporter and founder Keean Bexte says he was forcibly removed from the Banff Centre during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet retreat shortly before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived to address ministers.
Bexte said he had spent the day reporting from the retreat and interviewing approximately a dozen cabinet ministers, along with Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas, without incident.
Caught Mayor Jeromy Farkas as he attended the Carney cabinet retreat. He was friendly, and talked about the revolving door of criminals that have been allowed to disrupt the city and downtown core for years. Friendly guy! Thanks for the chat @JeromyYYC pic.twitter.com/rwcscwakI8
— Keean Bexte (@TheRealKeean) September 11, 2026
“We were polite, and our questions were relatively tame, not that that should matter,” Bexte wrote on X.
Video posted following the confrontation appears to show one of the men involved carrying an identification card marked “RCMP/GRC” for the Cabinet Planning Forum. Bexte later alleged the officers were part of Zelenskyy’s security detail and that Juno News had been singled out.
Unbelievable. After getting home and rewatching this, it is clear. These RCMP officers were part of Zelensky's detail, and they singled Juno News out. After a full day of reporting on location, a foreign leader had me removed. You can see the flag pins they are wearing. WTF? pic.twitter.com/HZfli2pCFi
— Keean Bexte (@TheRealKeean) September 11, 2026
“I was allowed to question Liberal ministers all day, but when it came to Zelenskyy, I was forcibly removed from the property,” he wrote.
Farkas publicly defended Bexte’s conduct.
“Sorry that happened to you,” the mayor wrote. “In our personal interactions you have asked hard questions but you have been fair, publishing my answers in full.”
Calgary's mayor deserves credit - he has never tried to restrict access, despite my prickly questions to him. https://t.co/xIc3fkTQGu
— Keean Bexte (@TheRealKeean) September 11, 2026
Carney’s official itinerary said Zelenskyy would address cabinet at the Banff forum after meeting with the prime minister in Calgary. Media access to portions of the Calgary events was advertised, but the cabinet gathering itself was held behind closed doors.
Woah, this is where I was standing before I was removed from the Cabinet retreat. It wasn't clear who was coming, but now it is. I was allowed to question Liberal Ministers all day, but when it came to Zelensky, I was forcibly removed from the property. What the fuck, Mark? https://t.co/jR5GwUbsWS
— Keean Bexte (@TheRealKeean) September 11, 2026
The federal government announced $350 million for Ukrainian air-defence interceptors during Zelenskyy’s visit, along with nearly $435 million in loan guarantees supporting Ukrainian energy security.
Neither the RCMP, the Prime Minister’s Office nor the Banff Centre appears to have publicly explained why Bexte was removed or whether the order came from Canadian or Ukrainian security officials.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
https://mybook.to/sheila
