A familiar face is about to temporarily host a popular Canadian political program – and a lot of people are not impressed.
It was recently revealed that Ben Mulroney, son of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, will be the temporary host of The West Block, a political affairs program on Global News, as permanent host and Ottawa Bureau Chief Mercedes Stephanson is taking maternity leave.
The change was revealed via an email from Global News and Corus Entertainment, the parent company of Global News, which was then posted to social media.
According to the email, Mulroney will begin hosting duties on Sunday, Sept. 14, the premiere date for the 15th season of The West Block.
He already hosts The Ben Mulroney Show on Corus radio stations across the country, and is well known for his over two decades as a journalist on CTV, including as a former host of Your Morning and Etalk.
“The West Block sets the tone, pace and conversation for the week ahead around politics,” Mulroney said in a statement included in the email.
“I feel privileged to be a part of the team bringing Canadians the number one political show in the country.”
Corus Entertainment told Now Toronto that Ben’s interim role will be “to continue the legacy of the show in Mercedes’ absence, and spark debate and thoughtful conversation.”
“At Corus, we are acutely aware of our responsibilities as a broadcaster and a member of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC). The goal of Corus’ news programming is to keep Canadians informed while offering differing perspectives on the stories our viewers care about. While we acknowledge Ben’s political heritage, we are confident in his ability to expand the discourse around Canadian politics on The West Block solely because of his passion for politics, business, and our country,” Corus Entertainment said in a statement on Wednesday.
CANADIANS REACT TO MULRONEY HOSTING THE WEST BLOCK
Canadians have been turning to social media to share their take on Mulroney’s new gig, with some questioning if this appointment is appropriate, given the Mulroney family’s ties to the Conservative Party of Canada. This includes reporters like Stuart Benson of news publication The Hill Times.
“What remains to be seen—including by journalists currently working at Global—is whether Mulroney will be able to sufficiently separate himself from his and his family’s close connections to the Conservative Party and leader Pierre Poilievre in order to be seen as a neutral host of a major Sunday politics show,” Benson posted on X.
“Except for Ben, and his sister Caroline, who serves as a minister in Premier Doug Ford’s provincial cabinet, his two brothers and both of their parents all donated the near maximum to Poilievre’s leadership campaign in January 2024,” Benson continued.
The host hit back, saying he never claimed or pretended to be neutral.
“My bias is there for all to see, judge and take into consideration. What I am, however, is someone who knows how to conduct an interview fairly and with respect,” Mulroney responded on X.
“Lastly, I know enough to know I don’t know everything and I am always open to be proven wrong or to have my opinion changed by a persuasive argument.”
Meanwhile, many Canadians are sharing their take on the announcement. Many are less than impressed, agreeing that Mulroney is perhaps too politically charged for the role.
“What an absolutely horrible choice if they want to be taken seriously by anybody but conservatives,” one Reddit user commented.
“I listen to his radio show regularly, and he’s just so blatantly biased and his takes come from limited and/or dated information,” another Reddit user said.
“The media needs to be and portray itself to be neutral. I can’t believe they are just embracing this?
While some are giving the new West Block host props for securing the role.
“You built a solid career and it was your work not your connections that got that. Good Luck on the fill in Gig, @MercedesGlobal is a tough act to follow/be compared to,” one X user posted.
“Congratulations Ben. Will be great to see you back on tv. Of course you have biases we all do,” another said.
