"The retrospective press conference with the leader at the end of a political convention is a staple event, a tradition as entrenched as hospitality suites, ill-advised assignations and hang-overs.
But to the great annoyance of journalists covering the Liberal biennial convention in Montreal this weekend, leader Justin Trudeau did not meet the press when the program wrapped on Sunday afternoon.
Instead, Trudeau gave one-on-one interviews to the CBC, Global and CTV.
An interview request from parliamentary channel CPAC, which covered the entire four-day confab and has interviewed party leaders at nearly every convention in memory, was rejected.
The communications shutdown contrasts with Trudeau’s repeated references to improving transparency and accountability in government and jabs at the near-total inaccessibility of the current prime minister.
And for a leader who faces increasing criticism from opponents over an apparent lack of policy bona fides, the decision by Trudeau’s advisors to keep him under wraps after a policy convention seemed odder still.
Frustrated, several journalists attempted to scrum Trudeau on Sunday when he arrived in the main plenary hall to hear the debate on the policy resolution that would change the party’s constitution to exclude senators from the Liberal caucus.
In the bizarre encounter, reporters tried to get Trudeau to say just something — anything — as he took his seat in the front row next to new party president Anna Gainey and her predecessor, Mike Crawley."
Trudeau refuses to give post-convention press conference | Ottawa Citizen
The slide begins.....
