The elected members of the National Assembly adopted a motion on Thursday denouncing the harassment and intimidation to which journalists and cameramen are subjected, as part of their coverage of the demonstrations of recent weeks.
The motion presented by the Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, herself a former journalist, invited the National Assembly to reaffirm that “quality information is one of the pillars of our democracy” and that the profession of journalist “must be exercised without harming the physical or moral integrity of those who practice it”.
The motion, which was adopted without debate, also invited the National Assembly to condemn “the reprehensible acts perpetrated and the insulting remarks conveyed recently against Quebec journalists”.
Again these days, we saw a journalist from the TVA network being harassed, intimidated, while a demonstrator prevented him from doing his job and placed his hand in front of the camera. Others are yelled at, interrupted when they are on the air, insulted.
CUPE calls out to all leaders
For its part, the Canadian Union of Public Employees has called on all political party leaders, federal and provincial, to condemn the harassment of journalists and cameramen.
CUPE, which is affiliated with the FTQ, notably represents journalists from TVA and the Journal de Québec.
In a statement released Thursday, CUPE calls on all party leaders to denounce this situation, which harms journalistic work, therefore news coverage and democracy.
CUPE-Quebec President Patrick Gloutney reports that media vehicles are being dangerously cut off and journalists are now having to work with bodyguards to do their jobs normally.