Harper Shutting Out the Media

[FiveParadox]

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P., the Member for Calgary Southwest and the Prime Minister of Canada, has stepped up his efforts to shut the media out of Parliament Hill. If Mr. Harper has his way, then the media is no longer to have access to our elected representatives after their Cabinet meetings — nor are announcements from the Prime Minister to take place in simultaneous translation-equipped rooms.

Other Changes that Mr. Harper is Planning:

1. The Prime Minister wishes to stop announcing visits and activities pertaining to heads of state and premiers — by way of example, Mr. Harper had a 20-minute phone conversation with His Excellency the Honourable George Bush, the President of the United States of America, unannounced — a practice unheard of in recent times.

2. News photographers are no longer to be granted access to meetings between the Prime Minister and visiting heads of state; photographs of the meetings are to be done professionally only, and photographs by the news media are not to be taken, nor distributed.

3. The national press theatre is no longer to be used for announcements, meaning that simultaneous translation for such announcements is no longer going to be available; the Prime Minister has opted for a more "prime ministerial" podium, to be placed in front of the House of Commons.

4. Forcing the media to compile a list of reporters who wish to ask questions, then choosing the particular reports and questions from that list for when the availability occurs.

5. No reporters are to be permitted into photo-ops; rather, technical personnel only.

What's next? Is Mr. Harper going to ask the Speaker to stop broadcasting coverage of the House of Commons? Is the televisation of committees going to become a thing of the past? If this is the new era of transparency and accountability that the Conservative Party of Canada was going to usher in, then I could do with a quick hanging of this new, inept Government of Canada.

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Cet article est epuisé en français.

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:!: Revision (#1) : Resolved a formatting error.
:!: Revision (#2) : Resolved a typing error.

 

[JonB2004]

RE: Harper Shutting Out t

What the hell is wrong with Harper? He got something wierd going on. I can't wait until the next election and the Liberals get back in. Then thing can go back to normal.

 

[I think not]

Five, I thought you would be ecstatic, isn't more and more government meddling a big thing with the left?

 

[darkbeaver]

RE: Harper Shutting Out t

Normally I would be ecstatic myself ITN but the meddling is not being done by our Government, it's being done by yours, Harper has become an American vice president in charge of Canada.

 

[I think not]

Ah yes that's right, which reminds me, you're fired, you can't even get a cup of coffee.

 

[Jay]

I wouldn't drink anything he brought anyways.

 

[Amik]

So much for transparency and accountability.

 

[LittleRunningGag]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out t

Normally I would be ecstatic myself ITN but the meddling is not being done by our Government, it's being done by yours, Harper has become an American vice president in charge of Canada.

That just it isn't it. The scary, lack of public input that we are seeing south of the boarder (if you think that what the Liberals did was bad, you've seen nothing compared to some of the corruption and lack of accountablity that is occuring down there) is being duplicated by the Harper government. The great thing about the Canadian Government, versus the US, is that Members of Parliament are expected to be open and frank with the media. That, when something happens, they have to respond to the media rather than just ignoring them... Until now.

I'm so glad we've got this new more open and accountable government. :roll:

 

[FiveParadox]

System of Defeat

Fortunately, we in Canada have the benefit of a system where a government can be thrown out of office on a want of confidence. If this trend of arrogance and attitude continues, on the part of the Tory government, I wouldn't blink twice to see them kicked out the door.

 

[Jay]

Yes because Five is still in love with the Liberals even though they steal our money and put it in their own Party coffers at the expense of the province of Quebec. For what should Liberals care if conservatives are run out office for something that isn't illegal, that would put Liberals back in so the criminality can continue.

Perhaps the media is full of Liberals and their stupid questions and the conservatives being in a tight spot are doing something to bring control to the situation.

 

[Mogz]

I just don't care, every one of them, conservative, liberal, ndp, le bloc, the green party, marijuana party, rhino party (hehe), the independants, every single one of them are crooks and I don't trust them as far as I could throw them. Unfortunatley, I haven't come up with the capital to run for Prime Minister myself, so give it a few more years and then i'll turn Canada in to a utopian paradise with national hawaiian shirt Fridays. Seriously, it'll be fun. Transparency optional

P.S. FiveParadox as my Deputy Primeminister....you know, to actually run the nation whilst I play solitare on my government appointed laptop...word.

 

[elevennevele]

RE: Harper Shutting Out t

This way you won't see the bad. It will be all rose coloured glasses. When there is bad, Canadians won't know about. They will just receive a carefully selected series of photo opts and government released PRs to make us all warm and fuzzy. And the ‘new press’ hand picked by Harper will just regurgitate it. Ever so thankful to be thrown a bone.

Harper is dismantles the qualities which makes our society enviable throughout the world. Some people wish that they could be able to question their leadership openly. Are we going to turn into those types of people?

For all we know at this point, Harper is giving half the Canadians of this country the finger behind closed doors because he won’t let cameras in to have us see his natural self. Maybe if we did, we might become shocked to see an ineffectual leader who can’t speak to the camera with his own unrehearsed abilities.

Hey, how are we to know what we have running the country?!

By what the public relations guy says?

 

[elevennevele]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out the Media

Yes because Five is still in love with the Liberals even though they steal our money and put it in their own Party coffers at the expense of the province of Quebec. For what should Liberals care if conservatives are run out office for something that isn't illegal, that would put Liberals back in so the criminality can continue.

Perhaps the media is full of Liberals and their stupid questions and the conservatives being in a tight spot are doing something to bring control to the situation.

You like what Harper is doing Jay? You would blindly follow a politician because he happens to wear the same coloured shirt as you?

That's great that you are happy the Liberals lost. But try not to lose any sense of criticism simply because they are the brand you voted for. If this were done by any party of Canada, I would be deeply critical of it.

Harper guy ran on accountability, a new transparency, ethics.

He lied to you! His actions show he lied to you.

 

[elevennevele]

RE: Harper Shutting Out t

And he only just started on the job too!

 

[Jay]

Yes because Five is still in love with the Liberals even though they steal our money and put it in their own Party coffers at the expense of the province of Quebec. For what should Liberals care if conservatives are run out office for something that isn't illegal, that would put Liberals back in so the criminality can continue.

Perhaps the media is full of Liberals and their stupid questions and the conservatives being in a tight spot are doing something to bring control to the situation.

You like what Harper is doing Jay? You would blindly follow a politician because he happens to wear the same coloured shirt as you?

That's great that you are happy the Liberals lost. But try not to lose any sense of criticism simply because they are the brand you voted for. If this were done by any party of Canada, I would be deeply critical of it.

Harper guy ran on accountability, a new transparency, ethics.

He lied to you! His actions show he lied to you.

Since when have Liberals concerned themselves with who lied about what? How many people voted Liberal in the last election? I don't take much they say seriously.

The motives of the left in Canada are clear. Disrupt and disorder until we get a new leader.

You would blindly follow a politician because he happens to wear the same coloured shirt as you?

Liberals do it day in day out....ask them the same question, at least conservatives aren't putting the nation at risk.

 

[elevennevele]

RE: Harper Shutting Out t

Hey, I was highly critical about about the sponsorship scandal and you know what? The Liberals got punished for it. Deservedly so! Yes, they deserved to get punished in some way for it and there is no bigger way than losing the election.

But now what?

Are we so angry now that it doesn’t matter if the worst thing comes along. We’ll just put him/her in charge of running the country because the only thing that matters is to punish the liberals for the sponsorship scandal?

They might of had some corrupt members, but in the big picture, the country still did well from policy. So lets be critical enough to be able to separate the good from the bad and given Harper’s even weak minority, I think most Canadians didn’t vote for him really because of policy, but for punishment of the Liberals.

Hey, to put it in perspective, the sponsorship scandal was a cancer in the body of the liberal party. But what is happening now is coming from the top and the fish now stinks from the head down.

Oh how I wish the old conservative party was still around for normal conservatives.

Come on. This isn’t one team versus another. You can have good people in all the different parties. Unfortunately right now Harper requires those good people in his party to go through a filter rather than be able speak on their own behalf.

 

[elevennevele]

Re: RE: Harper Shutting Out t

Hey, I could vote for a conservative party if it was moderate. I don’t make excuses for anybody in any party.

And I’ll always vote with my brain rather than my heart. Whatever is best for Canada.

 

[Jay]

Hey, I was highly critical about about the sponsorship scandal and you know what? The Liberals got punished for it. Deservedly so! Yes, they deserved to get punished in some way for it and there is no bigger way than losing the election.

Sure there is. There always shooting one of them in front of the others for treason, which often helps. Or shooting the entire lot for treason, but that wouldn't be fair...who would conservatives compete with, NDP?

But now what?

Are we so angry now that it doesn’t matter if the worst thing comes along. We’ll just put him/her in charge of running the country because the only thing that matters is to punish the liberals for the sponsorship scandal?

Since that isn't what happened I wouldn't worry about it.

They might of had some corrupt members, but in the big picture, the country still did well from policy. So lets be critical enough to be able to separate the good from the bad and given Harper’s even weak minority, I think most Canadians didn’t vote for him really because of policy, but for punishment of the Liberals.

Hey, to put it in perspective, the sponsorship scandal was a cancer in the body of the liberal party. But what is happening now is coming from the top and the fish now stinks from the head down.

The fish stunk from the head down the entire time Chrétien was in office and people still voted Liberal because of the lies they were telling about the Conservatives. Not everyone is fooled into believing those lies you know. Many people understand that the campaigns run by the Liberals are orchestrated on one major policy and that is name calling. The only thing that truly bothers me about it is the sponge like constitution of the average Liberal supporter to gobble up the lies and vote accordingly. The people are starting to wake up and see the lies for what they are though, and fortunately for Canada, they voted the conservatives in. But reeducation of Liberals takes time and we only managed a minority.

Oh how I wish the old conservative party was still around for normal conservatives..

Why your not done pooh-poohing on those guys yet? Here is a tip from the top....conservatives don't allow Liberals do define us.

Come on. This isn’t one team versus another. You can have good people in all the different parties. Unfortunately right now Harper requires those good people in his party to go through a filter rather than be able speak on their own behalf.

How gracious of you, but don't bother. If there are good people in the Liberal camp they should cross the floor and leave the psychosis that is leftism alone and move on.

 

[elevennevele]

The fish stunk from the head down the entire time Chrétien was in office and people still voted Liberal because of the lies they were telling about the Conservatives. Not everyone is fooled into believing those lies you know. Many people understand that the campaigns run by the Liberals are orchestrated on one major policy and that is name calling. The only thing that truly bothers me about it is the sponge like constitution of the average Liberal supporter to gobble up the lies and vote accordingly. The people are starting to wake up and see the lies for what they are though, and fortunately for Canada, they voted the conservatives in. But reeducation of Liberals takes time and we only managed a minority.

Jay, in the last election it was Paul Martin running the Liberal party. Not Chrétien.

Did you vote against the Liberals because you were voting against Chrétien? If so then you were voting with your heart and not your head.

If we are looking back, maybe we shouldn't vote Conservative because Brian Malroney was once running the Conservative show. Since Brian Malroney's people seem to be popping out of the woodwork with Harper's government, by your logic, we really shouldn't vote Conservative. Or were you a Malroney fan Jay?

...
Nice quote by George Washington. Strange you would use it when the meaning behind it condemns what Harper is doing with press restrictions.

 

[FiveParadox]

I would think it interesting, Jay, that in your multitude of posts above, in none of them do you say anything good or even redeeming about the Conservative Party of Canada; no, rather, you insult the Liberal Party of Canada exclusively, and insult left-wing people, in your efforts to bring us to the light of conservatism.

Yes, we get it — the Liberal Party of Canada messed up, majorly; I don't think that anybody is denying that, nor do I think that anyone would disagree that the Liberal Party got what they deserved with their poor results in this election. However, that doesn't mean that we should be governed by the Conservatives without criticism.

Your theme in this thread, Jay (namely, I'm a Conservative, so they can govern however they want as long as they stay blue) doesn't seem a particularly responsible way to go about things, in my opinion. Where can we draw the line, then? When the Conservatives decide to pull House coverage from CPAC? When they decide we don't need access to the Hansard on-line, anymore?