Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed is facing heat after taunting a journalist critical of the Trudeau government with the fact that her publication receives government subsidies.
Noormohamed, who serves as parliamentary secretary in the Heritage Ministry, replied to National Post journalist Terry Newman on X who was criticizing the Trudeau government and Immigration Minister Marc Miller for making Canada a less safe country during their time in power.
Noormohamed responded to the criticism by reminding Newman that the federal government heavily subsidizes the wages of National Post’s journalists while attacking the Post for its ownership.
“Your paper wouldn’t be in business were it not for the subsidies that the government that you hate put in place – the same subsidies your Trump – adjacent foreign hedge fund owners gladly take to pay your salary,” said Noormohamed.
Noormohamed is referring to the Trudeau government’s $600 million subsidy fund for large legacy media news outlets from which companies like Postmedia, TorStar, and the Globe & Mail all draw.
Critics of the news media subsidy fund claim that the government’s funding of news journalism breaches the independence of the media, compromising a journalist’s and news organization’s ability to report on the government impartially.
Many of these critiques were reiterated in reply to Noormohamed’s controversial post.
Newman fired back with a sarcastic comment claiming that she would stop criticizing the government while begging Noormohamed to keep her job.
“Okay. You win. You pay my salary. I’ll stop criticizing your government now. Please don’t fire me,” said Newman.
Jesse Brown, the founder of the centre-left, independent Canadaland mocked Noormohamed’s comment, claiming that statements like that from the Liberal MP hurts the reputation of the party and government.
“One day this government’s accidental destruction of the independent press will be studied as a cautionary tale,” said Brown.
National Post columnist Adam Zivo expressed worry that Noormohamed may believe that media subsidies are meant to buy the Liberal government the media’s support.
“It’s concerning that an MP seemingly believes that newspapers which receive public subsidies should refrain from criticizing the government,” said Zivo. “Definitely doesn’t help with the perception that the government is trying to bribe the media into compliance…”
TD Bank economist Marc Lévesque said that Noormohamed’s comments demonstrate the problem with the government giving the news media subsidies.
“Wow! This is why government subsidies for the press are problematic,” said Lévesque. “This MP is essentially saying that a journalist should not be criticizing the government because they get subsidies. It’s almost a threat.”
True North reached out to Noormohamed for comment, though no response was given.
An August poll commissioned by True North and conducted by One Persuasion found that 55% of Canadians either moderately or strongly agree that news media companies dependent on taxpayer funding are incapable of impartially reporting on the government.