Brian Lilley is a columnist, author, television show host, and was the senior correspondent for the defunct Sun News Network in Ottawa, covering Parliament Hill. He has worked in radio, television and print across Canada and appeared frequently in American media. A former radio show on 580 CFRA in Ottawa, he currently serves as provincial and national political columnist for the Toronto Sun.
Journalism career
Lilley joined the staff of 940 News in Montreal as a reporter in September 2000. While with 940 News, Lilley covered local, provincial and federal politics as well as international events such as the G20 conference in Montreal in November 2001 and the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in April 2001. During the three day conference, which was marked by violent protests, Lilley provided coverage for radio stations across Canada as well as live coverage for CNN Radio and Television. In 2002 Lilley moved from 940 News in Montreal to Newstalk 580 CFRA in Ottawa. From 2002 until 2005, Lilley was a beat reporter for CFRA covering local, provincial and occasionally federal politics for the station. This included attending the funerals of several of the early casualties of Canada’s contribution to the War in Afghanistan that were stationed at CFB Petawawa. In March 2005, Lilley began a five year run as the Ottawa Bureau Chief for what was then Standard Radio. He covered the 2006 election that saw Stephen Harper and the Conservatives replace Paul Martin's Liberals. Lilley joined the Sun News Network as soon as the station was announced in June 2010 and hosted the television program Byline with Brian Lilley from April 2011 until the station shut down in February 2015. The show was taped in Ottawa, Ontario. Byline usually included a 10-minute introduction followed by two or three 10–15 minute interviews, then a final 10-minute conclusion where Lilley reads emails from viewers, shows a funny or interesting video, or speaks about an upcoming event. On February 13, 2015, Sun News Network was shut down, hence terminating Byline with Brian Lilley, whose repeat of an earlier broadcast was the last program to air before ceasing operations at 5 a.m. ET. While with Sun News he also wrote a weekly column that appeared in over 30 newspapers, including the Toronto Sun, London Free Press, Calgary Sun, and Fort McMurray Today. After the shuttering of Sun News, Lilley went on join Rebel Media with some former Sun News colleagues but later quit the organization citing the startup's "lack of editorial and behavioural judgment" which he deemed "destructive". In March 2016, Lilley joined Bell Media in Ottawa at 580 News CFRA and hosted a radio show until January 2019. Beyond the News with Brian Lilley featured Lilley's commentary on Canadian federal, Ontario provincial, and Ottawa municipal politics. Lilley's show was critical of the Trudeaufederal government and the then provincial government of Kathleen Wynne. Lilley styled himself as the "Unofficial Leader of the Opposition" on his show in promotional material for the radio station. On January 11, 2019, the Toronto Sun announced that Brian Lilley would be joining the newspaper as a full-time political columnist.
In 2012, Lilley published a book titled CBC Exposed. In it, Lilley outlines what he sees as abuse of taxpayers' money by CBC executives and officials and a lack of transparency at the corporation.
