• CBC responds to the viral photo of their host meeting privately with Trudeau’s re-election team

• CBC’s Head of Public Affairs states that Mr. Cochrane was simply doing his job

The CBC has responded to the viral picture online revealing Trudeau’s chief of staff and campaign advisor meeting with the state-broadcaster’s host of Power and Politics, David Cochrane, stating that there was nothing out of the ordinary taking place. 

A widely-circulating picture online, first published by Canada Proud, shows Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, and his new campaign director, Andrew Bevan, having a private conversation in a restaurant with Cochrane.

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Social media has been abuzz with speculation as to the purpose of the conversation.

In an email, the CBC’s Head of Public Affairs, Chuck Thompson, told The Counter Signal that Mr. Cochrane was simply doing his job, and that he regularly meets with staffers of all political stripes. 

 “Like all news organizations that cover Parliament Hill, our journalists meet politicians and political staff for conversations in the course of doing their jobs,” he stated. 

Mr. Thompson added, “Mr. Cochrane hosts a daily program about politics and speaks to politicians and staffers of all political stripes in order to do his job. And that’s exactly what happened in this instance.”

Regardless as to the nature of the private conversation, a number of social media users have expressed shock and suspicion at the photo. 

Holly Doan, a former CBC journalist from Edmonton now working for Blacklock’s Reporter, took to social media to state that if she had ever been caught in a meeting with the Alberta Premier’s re-election team, she would “have been in such trouble.”

Shades of Mr. Butts 

In 2019, and just days before the federal election debate, Justin Trudeau’s long-time buddy and advisor, Gerald Butts, was photographed having dinner with the CBC’s Althia Raj. 

Days later, Ms. Raj moderated the English-language leaders’ debate.

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As for this recent photo with CBC’s Mr. Cochrane meeting with Trudeau’s spin doctors, it was taken on the same day the Trudeau government announced that the CBC has been selected to produce, promote, and distribute the English-language debate.