Gaps in the election

Stephen Harper has been called a lot of things by both the media and the opposition. He’s controlling and arrogant they say. Media pundits decry the lack of access they have to him and his MPs, and his feud with the parliament press gallery has become stuff of legend.

Prior to a Harper announcement of monetary and military aid to the Darfur region, the press gallery simply got up and left just before he arrived. They were protesting new press conference rules press conference where Harper’s aids would be choosing who got to ask the questions based on a predetermined list.

Covering this election for campus newspaper can be a daunting task in itself, but when two Conservative candidates, Steven Fletcher of Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia and Kenny Daodu of Winnipeg Centre decided to ignore requests for interviews, I found myself thinking these so called myths may indeed be reality. At least one of Daodu’s spokespersons was trying in vain to arrange something, only to be overruled by someone else. Daodu was too busy knocking on doors, he said, and won’t be able to give an interview until closer to the election date. Fletcher’s people did not even return one phone call.

Before I go on a misguided naive rant about democratic responsibilities of making one accessible to not just the media, but everyone in this country during an election, a surprising thing happened.
Wally Daudrich, Conservative candidate for Churchill, returned my call. He called pretty late in the night too after getting briefed on some issues I was going to talk to him about. He definitely was a breath of fresh air.

The media is but one way of politicians can make themselves accountable. I may not be a politics student, but it is quite obvious that Stephen Harper knows a thing or two about media manipulation.
I am not just talking the whole Conservative advertising scandal that everyone has conveniently forgotten about during an election. Nor am I talking about his polished “softer image” and prowess at playing a weepy Beatles tune on the piano.

He’s changed a party notorious for blunders and gaffes into a party notorious for silence and press releases. I can buy into one person changing and becoming more warmer and fuzzier. But for that to happen to an entire party is less believable. The importance is not what is being said in this election, but is what is not being said.  And this holds true for every political party.