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(LifeSiteNews) — Tech mogul and free speech advocate Elon Musk has labelled the mainstream media outlet Toronto Star as “Canada’s Pravda.”
Musk made the comment on February 6, after Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the outlet was preparing a “hit piece” on him and his family.
“The Toronto Star has become Canada’s Pravda,” Musk declared, referring to the term for what was the official newspaper of Communist Russia.
The Toronto Star has become Canada’s Pravda
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2024
Musk’s comments came after Poilievre accused the Toronto Star of planning to write a “hit piece” on him, apparently in an attempt to accuse Poilievre of the reckless spending that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is known for.
“The Toronto Star is trying to write a hit piece on the fact that my wife bought a small $300 splash pool a couple years ago which we paid for and put up ourselves,” Poilievre wrote.
“Separately they are attacking us for the NCC installing a safety fence at Stornoway to protect our kids after threats to my family,” he added.
“This is a ridiculous attack,” Poilievre declared.
The Toronto Star article in question was published February 10 and describes a new fence that was installed at Stornoway, the house given to the leader of the opposition party. According to the article, the new fence cost $15,817 and was built to address “significant concerns” raised about security.
However, if the outlet was trying to compare the $15,817 fence to Trudeau’s spending, it appears to be seriously out of touch with reality as taxpayers were recently billed $500,000 so the Liberal cabinet could go on an “affordability” retreat.
The outlet also included Poilievre’s response to their questions, writing, “When the Star asked Poilievre’s office about the fence and pool, the Conservative leader took to social media to accuse the newspaper of making ‘a ridiculous attack’ against him.”
This is hardly the first time the Toronto Star has targeted Poilievre or Conservatives in general, whose recent headlines included “Pierre Poilievre can dish it out. Why can’t he take it?” and “On transgender issues, Pierre Poilievre twists the truth and punches down.”
However, the outlet’s support of Trudeau should not come as a surprise considering its reliance on the Trudeau government for funding.
As LifeSiteNews reported in December, legacy media journalists are projected have roughly half of their salaries paid by the Liberal government following the November $100 million Google agreement and the subsidies outlined in the Fall Economic Statement.
Mainstream media in Canada already received massive federal payouts, but they have nearly doubled after Trudeau announced increased payouts for legacy media outlets ahead of the 2025 election. The subsidies are expected to cost taxpayers $129 million over the next five years.
However, most Canadians seem to agree with Musk, as recent surveys find only one-third of Canadians consider mainstream media trustworthy and balanced despite, or perhaps because of, the ongoing government payouts to keep legacy media outlets afloat.
Similarly, a recent study by Canada’s Public Health Agency revealed that less than a third of Canadians displayed “high trust” in the federal government, with “large media organizations” as well as celebrities getting even lower scores.
Large mainstream media outlets and “journalists” working for them scored a “high trust” rating of only 18 percent. This was followed by only 12 percent of people saying they trusted “ordinary people,” with celebrities receiving only an eight percent “trust” rating.
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