Bruce Campion-Smith, The Toronto Star
May 26, 2008
Zeal to manage message sees journalists shunned, bureaucrats, cabinet ministers routinely muzzled
OTTAWA–In the 6th-floor office of a nondescript building sit the gatekeepers, the bureaucrats who decide what Canadians learn about the workings of their government.
Questions on the hot issues of the day all get funnelled through this office, the “communications and consultations” unit of the Privy Council Office, housed in the Blackburn building that fronts the Sparks St. pedestrian mall.
Throughout the government, it’s known simply as “downtown,” the place where decisions are made on who speaks on issues and what they say. In the Conservative government’s clampdown on communications, this is Ground Zero.
Public appearances by cabinet ministers – whether it’s a speech or an interview – are carefully staged, starting with a “message event proposal” vetted by the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic wing of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
And in a marked change from previous governments, now even basic demands for information from reporters, once easily fielded by department spokespersons, are sent to this office for review – and often heavy editing – before they are okayed for public release, government insiders say.
Working in close tandem with the PMO, they are the filter for information – and often the roadblock, veteran insiders say.
“Everything is being ultra-centralized. That’s why there are delays. Nothing gets responded to on time and when there is a response, it’s useless,” said one insider familiar with the communications strategy.
“It’s a very deliberate philosophy. They don’t want to communicate through the media, they don’t want to engage media, they don’t want to answer questions,” the official said.
“If you want to tell your story, you’ve got to let people talk. And right now, there’s nobody talking,” the official said.
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According to the government’s own communications policy, federal employees are to be encouraged “to communicate openly with the public about policies, programs, services and initiatives.
“Openness in government promotes accessibility and accountability,” the Treasury Board policy states.
But long-time insiders interviewed by the Star say reality is far different, where journalists’ requests for information are routinely denied or delayed until long past deadlines.
None of the bureaucrats would speak for attribution for fear of retribution. One said being publicly identified would be “career limiting.”
The clampdown could get worse. Auditor-General Sheila Fraser recently revealed that the government is proposing a new policy that would require all communications “products” to be vetted by the Privy Council Office.
One government official said the new rules would formally enshrine in policy the unwritten rule that now exists.
“The screws are being tightened bit by bit. It’s gotten very extreme in the last six months. Just more and more delays, more and more control over things, less and less things getting approved,” the official said.
Stumble It!