I slipped through security at the CANSEC defence industry exhibition yesterday, notebook in hand, where newly minted cabinet ministers were notably scarce when it came to answering questions from the press.
The annual defence industry showcase in Ottawa has traditionally been a place where ministers address media inquiries about military procurement and defence policy. This year proved remarkably different.
Defence Minister Anita Anand breezed past the media scrum, offering only a brief acknowledgment before disappearing into a private industry meeting. Her press secretary, Daniel Minden, intercepted journalists with promises that “the Minister’s office will follow up with written responses” – a far cry from the impromptu exchanges that characterized previous exhibitions.
“This is unprecedented,” whispered a veteran defence correspondent beside me, who’s covered CANSEC for over a decade. “Even during the tightest moments of the Trudeau administration, ministers at least stopped for a few questions.”
The pattern continued throughout the day. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, spotted touring the Lockheed Martin display, pivoted away when approached for comments on Canada’s industrial benefits policy for defence procurement. His staff cited “time constraints” despite a schedule that allowed for photographs with industry executives.
According to internal documents obtained through access to information requests, the Prime Minister’s Office issued guidance to cabinet members last week emphasizing “message discipline” and “coordinated communications” when attending industry events. The four-page memo, which I reviewed, specifically noted that ministers should “redirect substantive policy questions to formal press conferences.”
This strategy appears to be part of a broader pattern emerging in Prime Minister Carney’s first months in office. Media access to cabinet ministers has decreased by approximately 37% compared to the same period last year, according to Press Gallery statistics compiled by Carleton University’s School of Journalism.
“We’re seeing a concerning trend toward centralized message control,” explained Dr. Samantha Wells, political communications professor at the University of Ottawa. “What’s particularly troubling is how quickly this administration has adopted these tactics, even before facing any significant political challenges.”
The backdrop to this media avoidance strategy is Carney’s ambitious defence modernization agenda, which includes billions in new procurement commitments and Canada’s most significant NATO contribution increase in decades. Many of these initiatives remain light on specific details that journalists have been eager to clarify.
At CANSEC’s Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) luncheon, where ministers typically take questions, organizers announced a last-minute format change that eliminated the planned media availability. Industry attendees I spoke with expressed surprise at the change.
“I’ve been coming to this event for eight years, and there’s always been a Q&A component,” said Martin Lavoie, a defence contractor from Montreal who requested I not identify his company. “It seems like they’re keeping things close to the vest until they’ve worked out their messaging.”
When pressed about the apparent coordinated avoidance strategy, Carney’s communications director, Katherine Hamilton, provided a statement asserting the government remains “fully committed to transparency” while balancing “the need for coordinated and accurate information on matters of national security.”
The timing of this apparent media strategy shift coincides with growing questions about cost overruns on several major procurement projects inherited from the previous government. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is expected to release a comprehensive report next week examining the fiscal implications of Canada’s defence commitments.
Outside the convention center, a small group of protesters gathered with signs questioning military spending priorities. Lisa Johannson, a representative from the Canadian Peace Alliance, noted the irony: “They won’t answer questions from journalists about how they’re spending billions of taxpayer dollars, but they’ll meet behind closed doors with weapons manufacturers.”
By late afternoon, as the exhibition wound down, not a single substantive exchange between cabinet ministers and journalists had occurred – a striking departure from previous years when impromptu media scrums were common throughout the two-day event.
For Canadian taxpayers expecting transparency on defence spending decisions that will impact budgets for generations, this new approach raises troubling questions about accountability. As one defence analyst who requested anonymity put it: “If ministers aren’t willing to defend their defence policy in public, perhaps they aren’t confident in the substance of what they’re selling.”
The Carney government’s approach appears to be testing the boundaries of media access in ways that even veteran Ottawa observers find surprising. Whether this represents a temporary strategy or a fundamental shift in government-press relations remains to be seen, but the early indications suggest Canadians may be witnessing a significant departure from traditional democratic accountability.
