Today’s Globe and Mail article on the ouster of renegade MP Garth Turner got me a little PO’d. I don’t really care about Mr Turner’s ejection from the Conservative party (the official reason for his being fired from the current Government is that his personal website “violates caucus confidentiality”) — any party can do as they please.

What did cause me to ‘get to thinking’ was the actions of the Prime Ministers Office with respect to the media. According to the Globe and Mail, the Office of the Prime Minister refuses to talk to the media on Parliament Hill (where the federal Government sits in Canada) and orders elected representatives (MP’s) to not answer questions by the media or by constituents in their riding regarding certain specific topics. From the article, Toubles grip Tories (front page of the online edition) Thusday October 19, 2006:

Mr. Harper and his communications director, Sandra Buckler, have imposed strict rules on when and how the government interacts with the news media.

Cabinet ministers have served as silent backdrops to announcements by the Prime Minister, such as last week’s press conference in Vancouver, where Mr. Harper announced that a Clean Air Act would be introduced within a week. Four cabinet ministers were at his side for that announcement.

The Prime Minister has stopped taking questions from reporters on Parliament Hill in response to the unresolved debate with the Press Gallery over who should control the list of questioners. Members of Parliament are also discouraged from speaking with reporters.

The Globe and Mail has learned that at a caucus meeting last month, Mr. Harper informed MPs that cuts were coming to various government programs. He said that spokespeople would be assigned on the issue and that MPs should not comment, even if the cuts affected their ridings.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, some MPs said they had no problem with the order and described the comments as consistent with the Prime Minister’s disciplined approach to public policy announcements. Others interpreted Mr. Harper’s remarks as threatening.

I believe that the spat between the Press Gallery and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is not about, “who should control the list of questioners,” but rather which questions get asked. If the PMO gets their way, only friendly reporters would be allowed to ask friendly (and easy) questions — how does this serve the interests of the public?

MaxPower usually refrains from getting involved in Politics on the web (too much shouting), but I think this issue is important and is separate from party politics. The PMO should be accessible to the media for questions and elected representatives (since they serve the public) should be able to answer questions from the public. Those two things are sort of important to a democracy… right?