The Quebec Press Council has upheld a grievance relating to a query the moderator requested Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet throughout the English-language federal leaders’ debate final yr.
The grievance was lodged in opposition to moderator Shachi Kurl and the CBC, one of many networks that broadcast the controversy, by Julie Lapierre the day after the Sept. 9, 2021, debate.
In her first query to Blanchet, Kurl described two Quebec legal guidelines — one limiting the carrying of non secular symbols by sure authorities staff, the opposite a language legislation reform — as “discriminatory” and famous Blanchet had denied “Quebec has problems with racism.”
The moderator was referring to Quebec’s secularism legislation, Bill 21, and to language laws that was nonetheless earlier than the legislature on the time of the controversy and have become legislation in June 2022.
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The council, which hears complaints about Quebec media protection however has no coercive powers, decided that the time period “racism” used on this context was an opinion and never a reality.
In her grievance, Lapierre alleged bias, discrimination and lack of respect for privateness and dignity.
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The council resolution states that it considers debate moderators to be practising fact-based journalism and famous the news media that broadcast the controversy stated they’d permitted the moderator’s questions.
