Well, well, well...OTTAWA—About two dozen journalists walked out on Stephen Harper yesterday after he refused to take their questions, the latest chapter in an unseemly spat between the Prime Minister and members of the national media.
Parliament Hill veterans described the scene of reporters boycotting a prime ministerial news conference as a first.
It resulted in Harper being forced to make his announcement on aid to Darfur to a small handful of reporters, photographers and camera operators outside the House of Commons.
The Prime Minister's Office insists on choosing who gets to ask questions based on a list it compiles. Officials say they're merely trying to install some order to the often chaotic ritual of parliamentary news scrums.
Chaos vs Control. Wasn't that the eternal theme behind Get Smart? What's next? The Cone of Silence?
"It is unfortunate that a select group within the press gallery displays such hostility and exhibits disrespect toward the Prime Minister," said a Harper spokesman.
Shorter Harper spokesman: 'You bastards!'
Harper needs to learn that Canadians will not put up with a 'Father Knows Best' culture in government. His need for patriarchal control will indeed be rejected on all fronts. He is not Bush and this is not the United States.
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