Althea Raj

Pierre Poiliev, during the election, we didn't travel on the plane with him.

We had to chase him around the country.

It cost us a lot of money.

When we got there, I never got to ask a single question during the entire time I went to Pierre Poiliev's events.

Neither did any Toronto Star reporter that I can think of.

They did pick Poiliev.

reporters because they they they the press conference was accessible to the reporters who bothered to show up but also the people who called in and so sometimes you'd have like a reporter from i don't know some outlet i'd never heard of instead of the the people who showed up at the press conference because they wanted to avoid certain questions we see and there's videos of this on the internet they um

They hand-hold now at some press conferences the microphone to pick the reporters that they want to ask the question.

There are no supplemental questions, so usually you get a question and a follow-up because the politician doesn't answer usually the first time around.

And if they somehow do answer, often you use a follow-up to ask a different question.

We've seen that Pierre-Paul Yves just kind of has done away with the follow-up.

I think in some part...

Partly that is our fault as journalists because we have agreed at times to forego the follow-ups to allow more reporters to ask questions.

We've seen that, for example, after cabinet swearing-ins, I believe Mark Carney, the second or first time around, there were more reporters who wanted to ask questions, so they just all got one question and there were no follow-ups.

So, you know, we ourselves are somewhat to blame.

I would say the prime minister...

I don't know.

When Pierre Polyev is out on the road, he is taking questions.

He's doing media roundtable, especially with ethnic media.

I think there's less control from the prime minister.