Well, it's much like the Rolling Stones doing Beast of Burden. They even do kind of a disco music following along even on something they don't want to do, much as the Toronto Star has to follow along on the SNC scandal.
The Toronto Star, right on its web page, refers to “The Star Mission and Atkinson Principles”. Atkinson, of course, was their founder. It talks about how the purpose of the Star is to keep customers informed about what matters, etc., which is fine. It is to “focus public attention on injustices of all kinds and on reforms designed to correct them”, etc.
It has “been guided by the values of Joseph...Atkinson, publisher from 1899 to 1948. Throughout his leadership Atkinson developed strong views on both the role of a large city newspaper and the editorial principles it should espouse. These values and beliefs now form what are called the Atkinson Principles,” which are posted on their web page, and are, “the foundation of the Star’s ongoing commitment to investigating and advocating for social and economic justice.”
Again, it goes back to the government granting certain media outlets access to $595 million of taxpayers' dollars, and then leading into a sole-source contract toward a news outlet that is solely based on, again, the principle of “advocating for social and economic justice”, which might be perceived as the same values as those of a certain party represented in the House of Commons.
Founded on a belief that a “progressive news organization should contribute to the advancement of society through”—