Journalists refuse Trudeau request to meet privately and 'off the record'

On Wednesday, Ottawa bureau chief of Global News slammed Trudeau’s attempts at an "off the record" discussion while on the campaign trail, saying that it has no place during the campaign season.

"Reporters for Global News and the Globe and Mail declined to participate in an off the record discussion with Justin Trudeau tonight on the Liberal campaign plane. There should be no off the record talks between leaders and journalists on any of the campaigns," wrote Mercedes Stephenson on twitter.

"Off the record conversations are common on Prime Minister trips coming back. That's a very different scenario than during a campaign," she clarified.

Stephenson added a link to a New York Times article explaining off the record and other conversations journalists have with sources. With off the record, nothing from the conversation can be published.

Robert Fife, Ottawa bureau chief of the Globe and Mail issued a similar sentiment as Stephenson.

"Reporters for The Globe and Mail and Global News refused to participate in an off the record discussion with Justin Trudeau on the Liberal campaign plane tonight. There should be no off record talks between leaders and journalists on any of the campaigns," wrote Fife.

Andrew Lawton, a journalist with the True North Centre, applauded both Stephenson and Fife's actions, saying that "this sort of integrity is great to see."

Trudeau's election call has been viewed by many as being a "power grab," including a majority of the Canadian public. 62 percent of Canadians said that the election is a power grab, not a way to have a better say in the country's post-pandemic recovery. 69 percent of Canadians said they felt as though the election "could have waited until next year or later."