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Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre remains unfazed after a senior-ranking Liberal urged subsidized media to scrutinize his caucus.

“Make sure we are holding Pierre Poilievre to account, to ensure he faces the proper scrutiny, because as Canadians get closer and closer to an election he has to answer those tough questions,” Government House Leader Karina Gould told reporters Monday. Her remarks followed a colleague’s comment that cabinet was “happy to help” CBC-TV counter Conservative criticism.

“Instead of answering legitimate questions from journalists – that’s his job – what does he do to journalists?” she added. “He attacks them. This is not something done by a responsible leader.”

Gould offered no examples, reported Blacklock’s Reporter. Poilievre has proposed to repeal media subsidies and cut the state broadcaster’s $1.4 billion annual parliamentary grant.

Poilievre has repeatedly criticized subsidized media as a cabinet scheme to “leverage news coverage in its favour.” Those publishers are not obliged to disclose the value of federal aid they pocket annually.

Pierre Poilievre shuts down a reporter from The Canadian Press over media bailouts.

"You're a tax-funded mouthpiece to the PMO," he says. "Are you going to let me answer the question or are you just going to heckle on behalf of Justin Trudeau?"https://t.co/vD78U4ZuZQ pic.twitter.com/E12QYuEJMR

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 12, 2024

“How does he react?” asked Gould. “As a bully, as someone who will not stand scrutiny, who will not respond respectfully, not just to you as journalists but on the questions you’re asking on behalf of Canadians because your job is to get that information to Canadians. 

“There is a reason why he doesn’t want Canadians to know what his true agenda is,” she said.

In a testy exchange with subsidized media last April 13, the Tory MP did not hold back on questioning their ability to report impartially on the feds. 

“Our Party does not support tax dollars for media outlets,”  he said during a media scrum. “We wind up with biased media … who come here and articulate the Prime Minister’s Office talking points rather than delivering real news to the Canadian people.”

“We need a neutral and free media—not a propaganda arm for the Liberal Party.”

NEW ANGLE: Pierre Poilievre schools a Canadian Press reporter for trying to shame him for citing "media reports" of terrorism as a potential cause of the Niagara explosion in Parliament yesterday.

MORE: https://t.co/nz1pGZVJL8 pic.twitter.com/cXQKwOdWGk

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 23, 2023

The Conservative Party since 2021 has proposed to cut the CBC’s annual appropriation. Poilievre last February 12 said any future Conservative cabinet would also cut $595 million media subsidies.

Parliament in 2019 amended the Income Tax Act to pay rebates of up to $13,750 per employee of cabinet-approved newsrooms. Payroll rebates this past April 1 were doubled to a maximum $29,750 per employee. Rebates are to expire after the next election.

“Sell subscriptions and advertising, get sponsorships and do what media have done for, I don’t know, 3,000 years,” Poilievre told The Lake Report, a subsidized weekly.

“How has the media funded itself for 3,000 years?” the publication asked the MP Thursday. “Subscriptions, advertising, sponsorships,” he replied. 

Isn't that convenient?

The media bailout that was to end before the next election has been extended to well beyond the next election.

Trudeau needs his mainstream media enablers polishing his turds like their jobs depend on it.

Because they do. https://t.co/TyWD0xWPOE

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) November 23, 2023

MP Gould defended subsidized media Monday, claiming access to “good quality information” is a necessity during a time of “incredible disinformation.” She continued her barrage of attacks against CBC.

“What does he propose to do?” she asked. “Defund the CBC. And all of you as journalists have experienced firsthand how he treats people who try to ask him tough questions, who try to have him face the scrutiny of what he puts forward.”

Poilievre and CBC President and CEO Catherine Tait had a heated tit-for-tat last February after the former accused the state broadcaster of launching a partisan attack on him in a Globe and Mail interview. He said Tait is "not even pretending to be unbiased."

"There's a lot of CBC bashing going on — somewhat stoked by the Leader of the Opposition," Tait said at the time. She accused Poilievre of "inciting attacks" on the broadcaster.

The Tory Leader called the crown corporation a "mouthpiece for Justin Trudeau." He later accosted a Canadian Press reporter over a misleading question on the Niagara border explosion.

Trudeau slams Pierre Poilievre for "attacking" the CBC and "the culture and local content that is so important to so many Canadians." Trudeau claims Poilievre "has to run to American billionaires for support."pic.twitter.com/40oelOYljy

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) April 17, 2023

No reporter questioned MP Gould on her advice. Her remarks followed a pledge by Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge last November 30 that cabinet was “happy to help” the CBC fend off proposed cutbacks.

“Our national broadcaster is affected by a current crisis,” said St-Onge. “Their revenues are affected. Their income is affected. This is without even including the impact of continuous attacks by the Conservative Party.”

The minister earlier called Poilievre “thin-skinned” for his criticism of select media. “It's our job to answer questions from journalists; we're accountable to the Canadian population,” she said.

“They are defending themselves from that and I am happy to help them do that. I am proud to do so.”