Rosemary Barton | |
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.jpg) Barton in 2011 | |
| Born | (1976-05-31)May 31, 1976 (age 48) |
| Alma mater | |
| Career | |
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| Network | CBC Television CBC News Network |
Rosemary Barton (born May 31, 1976)[1][2] is a Canadianpolitical journalist,[3] currently serving as the chief political correspondent forCBC.[4] In this role, she anchors her own Sunday morning news show,Rosemary Barton Live, hosts the "At Issue" segment onThe National, and leads special coverage for the network including during elections, breaking news and national emergencies.
Barton anchored CBC's election coverage during the2019 and2021 Canadian federal elections, following the retirement ofPeter Mansbridge, including one-on-one interviews with the federal party leaders.
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Barton led CBC's coverage of Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau's daily press briefings[5] from March to July 2020, in which he spoke directly to Canadians and took questions from journalists about the state of the pandemic and newly announcedgovernment support programs including the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and targeted support programs.
Originally fromWinnipeg,Manitoba,[6] Barton began working in journalism as a researcher for theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation's French-language news networkRDI[7] before becoming aNational Assembly of Quebec correspondent forGlobal News.[8] She rejoined the CBC in 2004, initially in the same role as a provincial political correspondent she held at Global, before transferring to the national Parliament Hill bureau in 2007.[9]
She began appearing onPower & Politics in 2011 as the program's main substitute host.
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Following the dismissal ofEvan Solomon by the CBC in 2015, Barton became interim host ofPower & Politics. Her interview style was lauded by fellow journalists,[10][11] sometimes contrasted favourably against Solomon.[12]
Barton gained popularity following her response to statements made by then-Minister of Citizenship and ImmigrationChris Alexander onPower & Politics during the 2015 election campaign, when he attempted to deflect a question on the government's handling ofSyrian refugees during a panel discussion by blaming the media (and Barton) for not drawing enough attention to the crisis.[13] Barton called Alexander's statements "completely false," offered to provide clips of previous shows where the Syrian refugee crisis had been discussed, and challenged him to admit he "[wanted to] avoid the question."[14]
She was officially named as the new permanent host of the show on January 5, 2016.[7] At the4th Canadian Screen Awards in 2016, Barton won the award for Best Host or Interviewer in a News or Information Program or Series.[15]
On November 6, 2017, Barton debuted as a co-host ofThe National, CBC Television's flagship newscast, alongsideAdrienne Arsenault,Andrew Chang andIan Hanomansing.[16] She was succeeded as host ofPower & Politics byVassy Kapelos, formerly host ofGlobal'sThe West Block.
In January 2020, Barton transitioned to a role as CBC's chief political correspondent after CBC decided to discontinueThe National's four-anchor format.[4] She hosted the weekend political talk seriesSunday Scrum onCBC News Network, which was retitledRosemary Barton Live as of November 1, 2020.[17] Barton continues to contribute toThe National as host of "At Issue" panel discussions featuringAndrew Coyne,Althia Raj andChantal Hebert.
Barton is a graduate of theCollège universitaire de Saint-Boniface (a francophone affiliated college of theUniversity of Manitoba) andCarleton University.
