OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons he believes journalists should be able to shield their sources.

But the opposition challenged him to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

In his strongest statement yet on press freedoms, Trudeau endorsed the notion of reporters being able to protect the identity of their confidential sources on World Press Freedom Day, hours after he hailed the value of a free and open press as “crucial to an informed and engaged citizenry.”

It came in answer to New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair in question period.

Mulcair said “under the watch of the prime minister” Canada has dropped 14 points to 22nd in an annual index by Reporters Without Borders, that puts Canada behind Samoa and just ahead of the Czech Republic and Namibia.

Mulcair challenged Trudeau to drop his “empty phrases and talking points” and pointed to Canadian cases where journalists were under surveillance or forced to fight the RCMP in court to protect their freedom.

“So will the prime minister acknowledge here today that journalists have the right to protect their sources, yes or no?” Mulcair demanded.

“A strong and independent media, a free press, is essential in the protection of our democracy and of its institutions,” replied Trudeau. “Yes, of course, journalists should always be able to protect their sources.”

“That is something we believe in strongly as a government, and that is something that we will continue to defend and fight for, not just here in Canada, but around the world.”

An important demonstration of Trudeau’s convictions would be whether his government will support a Senate bill, S-231, that seeks to protect journalistic sources.

In reply to questions from the Star about what he meant, Trudeau’s office was noncommittal. Spokesperson Cameron Ahmad referred back to the prime minister’s earlier statements and said the Senate bill has just been introduced or “read” a first time in the House of Commons “and our government is currently reviewing the legislation.”

Mulcair demanded a different demonstration of what Trudeau meant.

In the Commons, he asked whether the prime minister was “willing to tell the RCMP to drop its court case against Vice (Media’s) journalist that they are now pursuing?”

It would be a politically explosive move if Trudeau were to do so. The RCMP operates at arm’s length from the prime minister, the public safety minister or any government member or politician. Lawmakers do not and should not direct the RCMP to do — or not do — anything in an investigation lest police actions and law enforcement be seen to be politically motivated.

However, Mulcair said in an interview that Trudeau is unwilling to stand up when it counts.

“On the one hand he loves to talk about the principle of it, but then when it comes down to cases, he’s not really there.”

Mulcair said the Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Claude Carignan hasn’t yet been discussed in NDP caucus, but he supports it.

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“I think given the role of journalists and journalism in a free and democratic society, you’ve always got to come down on (sic) the favour of greater defence of their right to work. And their profession requires them to have sources, and you have to protect those sources, and you have to protect them from malicious prosecutions as they do their jobs.”

The Conservative party would support the bill as well, said a senior official from the office of interim leader Rona Ambrose.

Peter Kent, Conservative MP for Thornhill and a former Global News broadcaster, said in an interview, “I believe . . . , as a former journalist, in the protection of sources.”

He acknowledged there may be “concerns about leaks of information intended in a malicious way not in a manner that would support the democratic correction of wrongdoing” but said those can be addressed in legislation.

Kent added any bill must also ensure that disputes or “any legal challenges aren’t resolved in lower courts, but in courts with the capacity and the depth of knowledge to recognize legitimate arguments that protect sources.”

Over the past several months, disturbing cases of state probes into journalistic sources have come to light.

The RCMP conducted surveillance in 2007 and 2011 on La Presse reporter Joel-Denis Bellavance, who wrote about Adil Charkaoui, formerly subject of a security certificate and later a controversial Montreal imam.

The provincial Quebec police and the Montreal police subjected several investigative reporters in that province to electronic surveillance to discover their sources.

The RCMP went to court to force Vice News to hand over journalist Ben Makuch’s Kik messenger chat logs with Farah Shirdon, a Canadian suspected of fighting overseas with Daesh, or ISIS.

Last year, Trudeau said revelations like that were “troubling.”

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