Conservatives changing way election will be covered

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, on Sunday, March 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

The Conservative Party of Canada says they will not make space for a media contingent on their campaign buses and planes to follow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during the upcoming federal election.

In a statement released to various media outlets Tuesday, Conservative National Campaign Director Jenni Byrne says costs for travel during elections have “risen considerably,” and that media outlets have relied on staff from their local bureaus instead of flying their federal reporters across the country.

Byrne added that the Conservatives’ campaign will be one of “the most accessible and transparent” in recent memory, and that they’ve taken steps to ensure reporters will be able to participate at campaign stops.

Some of those steps include providing news bureaus two to three days’ notice on where and when events will take place, “providing full conferencing services” for media availabilities, as well as a “dedicated resource based in the Ottawa campaign office,” who can help coordinate travel and technical logistics.

The move is a shift in traditional political coverage during a campaign, as parties have typically allowed federal reporters based out of Ottawa to follow the party leader as they travel the country, with the media organizations paying their reporter’s travel fees.

Reporters are expected to be allowed to travel with the Liberals and the NDP on the campaign.

With files from the Canadian Press