Canadian federal officials discussed media ‘blacklist’ in closed-door meeting

OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — Access to Information records show that staff from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s own office held a closed-door meeting to decide which media outlets would get press accreditation and which ones would be denied.

The meeting was held on March 10, 2026, and included members of Carney’s Privy Council Office, Treasury Board, immigration department, Global Affairs Canada, and even the Canada Revenue Agency.

As noted by Blacklock’s Reporter, the agencies all came together to create what they saw as a central media accreditation system to counter ever-growing independent media outlets, which have boomed in popularity since COVID. 

The documents show that federal bureaucrats held debates about which journalists were worthy, or considered “bona fide,” to be allowed media access.

“On March 10 we met with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Treasury Board, Canada Revenue Agency and the Privy Council Office to discuss the federal media accreditation process and assess whether departments should better align their approaches in light of a rapidly evolving media landscape,” stated a March 11 internal immigration department email.

The email also stated that not all federal departments were using the same standards when deciding which press should be qualified, noting, “Participants noted most departments rely on case-by-case judgment.”

In the meeting, officials discussed that independent media was growing and that the current rules did not reflect this and needed to change. 

Of importance was that the closed-door meeting came a day after Canada’s immigration department admitted that it would not give media who are not “bona fide” access to ask it questions.

The records show that priority access would be focused on only news outlets that are federally subsidized to the tune of billions annually.

“Media accreditation criteria were developed to ensure resources we allocate genuinely support access to high-quality information while safeguarding press freedom,” one government document was said to have stated.

“That said, we have launched a review of our accreditation criteria to stay aligned with the best practices.”

At least one internal email, which was censored, gave a warning to federal officials that creating an overly restrictive accreditation regime could sideline independent reporters or outlets.

“There are many journalists who work independently and have started their own platforms that do not carry ‘qualified Canadian journalism organization’ designations,” wrote the author, who was listed as anonymous.

“For this reason, I worry the policy that has been put in place is too rigid in its interpretation of who qualifies as a bona fide journalist.”

Carney, only days before news of the closed-door meetings was made public, claimed on World Press Freedom Day that “Journalism empowers us with truth and protects our democracy.”

The Liberal government under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threw large amounts of money at legacy media outlets, despite Canadians increasingly turning to alternative media sources for their news.

In 2019, under the former Liberal government of Trudeau, the Income Tax Act was changed to aid legacy media, so that rebates of up to $13,750 per employee would be given, but only to government-approved news outlets.

In 2024, the payroll rebates were doubled to a maximum of $29,750 per employee.

In fact, legacy media in Canada would not exist were it not for government subsidies, which creates a problem when it comes to reporting news contrary to the federal narrative.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) gets $1.6 billion a year, which comes at taxpayers’ expense. As reported by LifeSiteNews, the CBC for years has promoted the LGBT agenda, pushed COVID jabs, and other woke issues, which many Canadians do not want a part in.

The CBC funding, in addition to biased reporting, has led many Canadians to consider that it is nothing more than a Liberal mouthpiece.

When it comes to how Canadians choose to get their news, Elon Musk’s X now ranks number one in news apps for Canadians, outranking all mainstream media outlets, including the CBC.