Is it Wise For Harper to Anger the Media so Soon?

The showdown between Stephen Harper and the media is already becoming heated. For five years they've been shut out, and now when he's asking Canadians to trust him with a majority, he's proving that we can't trust him at all.

Hiding from the press is just another sign that it will be the same old, same old.

After several days, it is clear his daily schedule is carefully designed to minimize political risk. Harper has not done any “walkabouts” on city streets where average voters can meet him. Moreover, the photo-ops with voters — such as at a seniors’ home and a deli — have been pre-arranged. Also, people who attend rallies must be on a list to gain entry to the event.

Mr. Harper only provides one news conference per day, and it is specifically designed to ensure that it is not free-wheeling. Journalists who are travelling with his campaign tour are, as a group, only allowed to ask four questions. One more question goes to a local journalist at the news conference. On Thursday, Mr. Harper was asked to explain why — when Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and NDP leader Jack Layton provide news conferences with no limits on questions — he insists on no more five questions.

Mr. Harper chose not to answer that question and moved on to the next questioner.

Week one: Lies and secrets.

More Harper Government Secrecy. Welcome to the Purple File

It would appear that Rhona Ambrose's announcement of her own government calling in the RCMP to investigate the suppression of information, was a smokescreen for what was to come.

In fact the RCMP was called in on the recommendation of the information commissioner. And we have learned that the Conservative party use something called a "purple file" to bury information they don't want released to the media.

The launch of an RCMP investigation into a Tory staffer for political interference in access to information has again exposed the secretive practice of flagging sensitive requests for scrutiny by ministerial aides. A report this week by Suzanne Legault, Canada's information commissioner, was highly critical of a so-called "purple file" process at Public Works.

An access request in 2009 from The Canadian Press was tagged sensitive, put into a purple-coloured folder, labelled "media," then handed over to Sebastien Togneri, a political aide to then-minister Christian Paradis. In face-to-face meetings with compliant bureaucrats, and in terse emails, Togneri ordered the release package withheld, then heavily censored, even though he had no legal authority to do so.

We have always suspected such a file, but this exposes the practice.

The commissioner's report laid part of the blame on a "drift" in the "purple file" process, which was set up under the Tories to alert the ministers to potentially embarrassing requests made under the Access to Information Act. At Public Works, that alert function had morphed into a political vetting machine ...

This story is coming on the heels of learning that this government is planning to hike the rates for access to information, again speaking to their secrecy.

What are they hiding?

Rhona Ambrose to Appear on Yuks Yuks. Glad She's Got a Fallback Career

If you missed her performance, or lack thereof, when she was the 'minister of spending money to take our minds of their lack of environmental policies', you can make up for it with Ambrose's new comedy act.

Her best punchline: "our government’s commitment to openness, transparency and accountability.” Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ....

She cracks me up.

Yep. With all the bluster she could muster, she's called in the RCMP. Not to investigate forged receipts to get money her party wasn't entitled to, or the 50 alleged frauds that the former, half million dollar richer, ethics czar swept under the rug.

No. It's to investigate a former staffer for secrecy.

In other words for doing his job, because we know that anyone in the 'Harper' government who speaks, is sent to the gallows.

Keep 'em comin' Rhona. I need a good laugh.

But maybe you could explain why your open and transparent government is raising the fee for access to information requests from $ 5.00 to $ 25.00, simply because too many people were unravelling your secrets.

What a farce. Why would any newspaper print this drivel?

Stephen Harper Goes on the Attack to Get His Damn Fighter Jets

The Harper government has gone to enormous lengths to award a single source contract to an American arms dealer, Lockheed-Martin for fighter jets that we don't need or want, and can't afford.

They've hacked computers.

Faked a Russian threat.

Hired an employee of the firm as Harper's chief of staff.

But Stephen Harper may now have gone too far, in his latest assault on a critic of the purchase.

Confronted by an insider warning against the sole-sourced purchase of a fighter jet dubbed the Flying Credit Card, a furious Stephen Harper on Thursday chose to attack the whistle-blower — and warn against massive aerospace job losses if opponents continue “playing politics” with the lives of Canadian troops. Such hyperbole suggests the F-35 jet fighter controversy is getting under the Prime Minister’s skin. He may have cause to fret.

Retired assistant deputy minister of materials Alan Williams — an expert who is hard to dismiss — took the parliamentary stand on Wednesday afternoon to denounce the lack of competition for $9-billion worth of fighter jets as likely to squander billions of tax dollars and lost business opportunities. Mr. Williams warned Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s logic on the F-35 file is “flawed,” and he’s taking public positions that “insults our intelligence.” This is no opposition cheap shot.

This comes from a 33-year public servant who signed the memorandum of understanding in 2002 committing Canada to $100-million in funding to develop the F-35 stealth fighter. He’s even written a book on the subject: ReinventingCanadian Defence Procurement: A View From The Inside.

There are no jobs to lose, except perhaps in the United States. Canadian firms were only told that they could "bid" on maintenance contracts, which in Harperspeak means "good luck with that."

We need to listen to Mr. Williams, because we all know Stephen Harper never will.