Parliament Hill journalists denounce 'unprecedented' lack of invitation for Carney's Egypt trip

OTTAWA — The head of Canada’s Parliamentary Press Gallery denounced the Liberals’ “unprecedented” exclusion of Canadian media from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to Egypt on Sunday, while the government said it had no choice due to last minute travel.  

In a statement late Tuesday, Parliamentary Press Gallery (PPG) President Mia Rabson said journalists accredited to cover Parliament were neither informed sufficiently in advance of, nor invited to join Carney’s trip to Egypt for the Middle East Peace Ceremony on Oct. 12 and 13.  

“The Gallery is disappointed and dismayed at the exclusion of Canadian media from the event and expresses in no uncertain terms that this must never happen again,” Rabson said.  

“It is unprecedented that Canadian media be entirely excluded from a Canadian prime minister’s foreign trip,” she added. “Any event that erodes access, transparency and accountability is a step in the wrong direction.”  

The PPG is a self-governing association of journalists and media organizations accredited to cover Parliament. One of its roles is to advocate for accredited journalists’ access to both Parliament and Parliamentarians, including during international travel.  

Normally, reporters would be invited to travel alongside the prime minister — at their own cost — or be advised in advance of a trip in order to make their own travel arrangements if desired.  

But members of the PPG were only advised less than two hours before Carney departed Canada — via an update to his public schedule — that he would be attending last weekend’s landmark summit during which U.S. President Donald Trump and mediators signed a deal ending the war in Gaza.

In a statement, PMO spokesperson Audrey Champoux said that the summit was organized so last minute that none of the Canadian Armed Forces’ planes normally used for the prime minister’s travel were available.  

So, the office was forced to charter a small Bombardier aircraft and only sent six staff members and RCMP protective detail with the prime minister.  

“The Government’s use of a small chartered aircraft in these exceptional circumstances was confirmed after advance approval from the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, with multiple quotes for aircraft options,” Champoux wrote.  

Throughout the weekend, the PMO sent PPG members brief reports on what was occurring during the summit to compensate for the absence of reporters

Parliamentary Press Gallery members travel with the prime minister so they can report on the ground about developments during travel without having to rely on information solely provided by a third party, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). 

National Post

cnardi@postmedia.com 

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