CTV News parts ways with staff who altered Poilievre clip

CTV News has parted ways with two of its staff members, following an investigation into an altered clip of federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre that aired earlier in the week.

“A report on Sunday’s CTV National News broadcast did not meet our expected and required high editorial standards. We sincerely and unreservedly apologize for the manner this report went to air and the false impression it created,” CTV National News stated in a post to X, late Thursday.

The network said their investigation found that “two members of the CTV News team are responsible for altering a video clip, manipulating it for a particular story.”

“Their actions violate our editorial standards and are unacceptable. Those individuals are no longer members of the CTV News team.”

CTV National News initially ran a retraction, following the spliced clip’s airing, which the Conservatives said left viewers with the impression that Poilievre could introduce a non-confidence motion over the Liberal dental care program, which would trigger an early election. The clip was edited and the accompanying script reframed, removing reference to the phrase “carbon tax election.”

Chief Anchor and Senior Editor Omar Sachedina acknowledged in the correction, that aired on Monday, that Poilievre’s comment had been “taken out of context.”

“It left viewers with the impression the conservative non-confidence motion was to defeat the Liberals dental care program,” said Sachedina, in the apology. “In fact, the Conservatives have made it clear the motion is based on a long list of issues with the Liberal government including the carbon tax. A misunderstanding during the editing process resulted in this misrepresentation. We unreservedly apologize to Mr. Poilievre and the Conservative party of Canada. We regret this report went to air in the manner it did.”

CTV reporters blacklisted by CPC

Poilievre blasted CTV parent company Bell in the House of Commons and on social media, writing “Next time you’re on hold forever with Bell trying to get someone to help fix miserable service, remember that Trudeau protects the company against real and complete competition to gain favourable coverage on CTV.”

The Conservative leader’s media relations lead Sebastian Skamski said in a post that “until they explicitly acknowledge their malicious editing & omission of context to undermine Pierre Poilievre, Conservative MPs won’t engage with CTV News & its reporters.”

The two staff members involved have not been identified.