A form of accountability journalism where reporters test the veracity of statements and/or assertions using a variety of credible, authoritative sources to root out falsehoods.
I spent a week listening to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh promise voters a country of blossoming public health care, autoworker protections and corporations that pay their full share of taxes onshore, all the better to fund the salaries of half a million new nurses.
After seven days of speeches and聽slogans like, “We’re in this fight for you!” it seemed as if Singh was metaphorically wrapping Canadians in one of those thick, weighted blankets meant to reduce anxiety except, as journalists kept telling him, his party’s poll numbers were crashing.
Your seat could be at risk, they said. 聽
Canadians will decide, Singh countered calmly, hand over heart. He reminded anyone listening that New Democrats fought for Canada’s pharmacare and dental care programs and, if Canadians honoured the NDP with the votes to make him Canada’s prime minister, he’d fight for them. We’ve got your back, he’d say.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
From Sunday March 30 to Saturday April 5, we heard sweeping announcements about plans for the future that might one day make the world a better place, but in terms of verifiable facts, most were not checkable.
Still, Singh raised important issues that matter to Canadians, including the cost of housing, job losses from U.S. President Donald Trump’s auto tariffs and concerns about the privatization of health care. When Singh did offer facts, they were mostly accurate. The NDP’s defence of his聽鈥 one聽鈥 false statement argued that we missed the speech patterns of a political opponent that clearly exposed his intentions and supported Singh’s take.
So, please enjoy our first instalment of federal leader fact-checking. Next up: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
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