Mainstream news is an entertainment business. It seeks to draw viewers, like any other show, and it aims to benefit its sponsors. It is also a reflection of how its producers view Canadians. You could say it tells us more about ourselves than anything else..As entertainment it seeks to mollify, titillate, entice for further views, and gain our allegiance. No matter how complex and unpredictable reality can be, its coverage will not shock you into being offended and turning the channel. Viewers want to just the right amount of information to be reaffirmed that our worldview is right: Black and white, and nothing conflicting or nuanced. Zelensky is the new George Washington, Pfizer are not capitalists, and some Canadians deserve contempt..That last month's “Conversation with the Prime Minister” by CTV, is framed and edited with a purpose is clear. It begins with symbols of authority; flags and French horns abound. This is royal. Then comes the seamless onslaught of quotations:.“As a father but also as a leader, I am extremely worried”..“We will not give in to those who fly racist flags.”.“China knows we'll stand up for human rights; we'll stand with people who are expressing themselves.”.“Canada stands with Ukraine.”.The producers could have chosen anything, from the WE scandal to telling the opposition they stand with Nazi's, this is morally grandiose. No impulsiveness here, no “do you wanna see my socks”, no dress-up. This spliced together montage creates a narrative of seriousness in the midst of crisis, and of a strong leader who takes action..Here in “Historic Kensington Market”, however, the conversation must look unscripted, like Trudeau and CTV's Omar Sachedina have just met on the street: two friends going for a walk. Trudeau's a man of the people, meandering through the neighbourhood..And we're off, immediately into the costs that are weighing down Canadians. “How concerned are you about the economic headwinds next year?” asks Sachedina. “What will you do to offer Canadians next year? “Will there be targeted spending?”.One minute in and we get a play by play of the Liberal platform..Soon, the leisurely walk down the street becomes a fireplace chat in Jimmy's Coffee. The PM gets a throne compared to Sachedina's chair, but the bright yellow coffee cups and ambiance again signify easy conversation..Sachedina fires off questions about financial supports, the worries of Canadians, and and the NDP Confidence and Supply Agreement. Is there a red line that the PM will not cross? The response: “What is good for Canadians, that's our red line with everyone.”.But, there's more to this conversation, and soon we're back on the street to address another elephant in the room. Sachedina asks how Trudeau personally dealt with the vitriol he faced this year. And in the next minute all the seriousness and moral ardor breaks just once: there's one laugh in the entire 45 minute interview, and its at the expense of an “anti-vaxxer”..Someone is calling to our PM on the street. Trudeau is waxing about engaging all Canadians, and Sachedina asks if he would engage the passerby, to which Trudeau responds, “I suspect he won't really be listening to me, but I'm willing to try...”..Attila, the man on the street, asks Trudeau about the mandates, and he gets a mouthful: “Every step of the way we've listened to doctors, to health experts to keep Canadians safe,” adding, “What we've focused on is public health experts, pandemic researchers, the kind of people who gave Canada the recommendations... Every step of the way, we'll listen to doctors and scientists...”.Then Attila says he was at the Trucker protest, and its like a psychological button has been pressed. Trudeau is on the move, but we can feel the tension building, and Trudeau responds with “You know what? There's an open investigation. There's a level of transparency going on with the commission that will put out a report on whether you're right or me.”.This is engagement and “listening to Canadians.”.Attila says, “and about vaccinations...”.Our PM spins on his heels, his hands go up and make a wall as if he's ready for a fight, while he's smiling ear to ear. “Oh, ho!” he chirps..Suddenly, we are back in high school. Sachedina steps up beside him and Trudeau leans in to literally rub shoulders. All the seriousness, pandemic cliches, and moral ardor are gone; now they're just two lads walking down the high school hallway. One is obviously the more dominant, and that one is laughing freely, unchallenged, at the would-be geek by his locker..“Oh you know what...he starts on vaccinations!” guffaws our PM, to Sachedina, his sidekick, his pal..It was a laugh that should have been heard around the country, but it wasn't..Soon, we're back by the fireplace. Sachedina asks about the memorable “tinfoil hat comment," and the seriousness is back along with the talking points: “There was a sense that Canadians really stepped up for each other. People went out and got vaccinated to a higher degree than just about any other country... The mind checks out..“I won't apologize for people who were harming Canadians,” he says, parentally. “We will be extremely patient with people who are hesitant.” This is, apparently, to reassure us..The tinfoil hat question goes unanswered. But the old “Canadians stepped up and helped each other and got vaccinated” is a one-two punch..The evasion works, and it has reinforced a vital idea: Attila and his ilk are not Canadians..In the end, Canadians didn't notice the laugh, and CTV chose to keep it. What should have ended up on the editing room floor is there for all to see: contempt and hatred from our own PM, in broad daylight..And no one said a thing.
