Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended today the right of journalists to protect their confidential sources even as his own government is trying to get a reporter to hand over his correspondence with a source.
Strong and independent media and free press are essential in the protection of democracy and its institutions, Trudeau said during question period in the House of Commons as Canada marked World Press Freedom Day.
“And yes, journalists should always be able to protect their sources, that is something we believe in strongly as a government and that is something that will continue to defend and fight for not just here in Canada but around the world,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau was responding to a question from Tom Mulcair, the interim leader of the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), who reminded the House that in the last two years Canada has dropped 14 points to the 22nd place in the annual Word Press Freedom index released by Reporters Without Borders, known under its French acronym RSF.
(click to listen to the exchange between NDP leader Tom Mulcair and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau)
Listen“Prime Minister Trudeau has strongly advocated for a ‘free media’ but the past year has shown this to be dead letter,” says the RSF report. “While Canada guarantees freedom of the press under its 1982 constitution, circumstances faced by journalists say otherwise.”
The report points out that several reporters in Quebec have been placed under police surveillance in an attempt to find their confidential sources.
It also mentions the case of a VICE News reporter who is fighting a court order compelling him to hand over communications with his source to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), while another journalist for The Independent is facing up to 10 years in prison for his coverage of protests against a hydroelectric project in Labrador.
“Journalists in the country are not currently protected by any ‘shield law’ and legislation like controversial Bill C-51 uses national security as an excuse to chill free speech and expression online,” said the report referring to anti-terror legislation passed by the previous Conservative government.
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that journalistic sources may be protected, but on a case-by-case basis. And there is no constitutionally protected right to shield a source.
Trudeau said his government was going to introduce changes to Bill C-51 but refused to call on the RCMP to drop its court case to force Vice Media reporter Ben Makuch give them his background materials related to articles he did in 2014 on fugitive terror suspect Farah Shirdon.
The RSF’s index ranks a country’s press freedom on the diversity of opinions tolerated, independence of media, the legal environment, and abuses or violence directed at journalists. Norway topped the 2017 index, while North Korea was at the bottom.
With files from The Canadian Press
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