Pierre Poiliviere not attending the Parliamentary Press Gallery Dinner

Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, has declined an invitation to attend the Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner on Saturday night, an event that was on a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

It’s tradition for political party leaders of all stripes to attend the event and deliver a speech, often filling it with jokes at their own expense and getting a few digs in at their critics, too.

A spokesman for Poilievre simply said he’s “not coming” to the gala that will take place at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., and did not give a reason why.

His former boss and Canada’s last Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, would also skip the event when he was in power but did attend when he was Opposition leader and showed off his funny bone.

Harper got in on the self-deprecating humour at his first event as leader in 2004.

Rona Ambrose, who served as the party’s interim leader after Harper, revived the tradition of Tory leaders attending.

In 2016, she took aim at the former prime minister in a bit about the party adopting a new tagline. “The Conservative Party of Canada: The bad man’s gone away.” (CP)

Former CP24 weather person files Human Rights Commission complaint

Longtime on-air television personality and CP24 weather specialist Patricia Jaggernauth has filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission against Bell Media, alleging systemic discrimination throughout her 11-year career.

Jaggernauth’s complaint, launched on Wednesday and first reported by CBC, makes allegations of discrimination based on race, gender and disability by Bell, her former employer. The Toronto-based media company owns cable news network CP24. In the complaint, Jaggernauth alleges Bell continually passed her over for promotions and attempted to restrict her ability to freelance outside the company despite never offering her a full-time job.

“She has been used as a token and commodity when it is convenient and beneficial,” the Toronto-based reporter’s complaint reads. Jaggernauth identifies as being of Guyanese and Jamaican ancestry on social media.

“And Bell now wants to own her likeness and her career, despite putting her in a position where she cannot earn a living wage despite giving 11 years of her career to the company.”

In a statement emailed Saturday, Bell Media said it cannot comment on matters involving current or former staff. (CP)

Evan Solomon moving to New York

Evan Solomon is leaving his roles at CTV’s “Power Play” and “Question Period” to join a digital media company.

Solomon announced Monday on Twitter that he has been hired as publisher at the online political news outlet Gzero Media and will be based in New York. He will also join the management committee of its owner, Eurasia Group. The post begins Oct. 17.

CTV’s owner Bell Media said Solomon will continue to “report regularly” on Canadian politics and global affairs as a special correspondent for the network.

Bell Media will announce a new host for “Power Play” and “Question Period” in the coming weeks.