CHAPTER 1. DEMOCRACY, MESSENGERS AND THE HARPER REVOLUTION
1. Quoted in Richard Nimijean, “Domestic Brand Politics and the Modern Publicity State,” in Kirsten Kozolanka (ed.), Publicity and the Canadian State: Critical Communications Perspectives (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014), 178.
2. These ideas are discussed with some erudition in David E. Smith, The People’s House of Commons: Theories of Democracy in Contention (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007).
3. Susan Delacourt, “‘Not nice’ works for many leaders, but not Alison Redford,” Toronto Star, March 22, 2014.
4. John Ibbitson, “Michael Ignatieff’s timely warning on the politics of fascism,” Globe and Mail, October 30, 2012.
5. Tom Flanagan, Waiting for the Wave, 2nd ed. (Montreal/Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2009), 226–227; William H. Riker, “Implications from the Disequilibrium of Majority Rule,” in Peter C. Ordeshook and Kenneth A. Shepsle (eds.), Political Equilibrium (Boston: Kluwer-Nijhoff Publishing, 1982), 19. Flanagan also describes Riker’s theories in chapter 3 of his book Winning Power: Canadian Campaigning in the 21st Century (Toronto/Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2014).
6. The Canadian Monthly, May 1873.
7. The Ignatieff quotes are from John Ibbitson, “Michael Ignatieff’s timely warning on the politics of fascism,” Globe and Mail, October 30, 2012.
8. Tim Naumetz, “Harper Tactics,” Ottawa Citizen, March 12, 2007.
CHAPTER 2. THE PERFECT MEDIA STORM
1. Douglas Fetherling, The Rise of the Canadian Newspaper (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1990), 9.
2. Ibid., 24.
3. Michael Bate, “Memories of Mike Duffy: Lawsuits and ‘smear’ campaigns,” Toronto Star, February 22, 2013.
4. See Mark Bourrie, “The myth of the ‘Gagged Clam’: William Lyon Mackenzie King’s press relations,” Global Media Journal—Canadian Edition 3.2 (Spring 2010): 13–30; and Allan Levine, Scrum Wars (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1996).
5. For a much longer examination of insider media culture in the King years, see Bourrie, “The myth of the ‘Gagged Clam.’”
6. Wilfrid Eggleston quoted in Colin W. Seymour-Ure, “Parliamentary press gallery in Ottawa,” unpublished M.A. thesis, Political Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, 1962.
7. Eerily, Trudeau and Tim Ralfe, the reporter who recorded the quote, died in the fall of 2000 within a few weeks of each other.
8. Don Martin, “Only the government wins as Postmedia goes dark in Ottawa,” CTV.ca, February 5, 2014.
9. Floridian Sauvageau, “Advertising Looks Elsewhere,” in David Taras and Christopher Waddell (eds.), How Canadians Communicate IV: Media and Politics (Edmonton: Athabasca University Press, 2012), 34.
10. Ibid., 36.
11. Martin P. Wattenburg, Is Voting for Young People? (New York: Pearson, 2012), 13.
12. Sauvageau, “Advertising Looks Elsewhere,” 32–34.
13. Wattenburg, Is Voting for Young People?, 13.
14. Paul Delahanty, “TV Viewers Head for Exits,” Blacklock’s Reporter, April 26, 2014; Tom Korski, “CRTC Says 62% Eye Netflix,” Blacklock’s Reporter, May 27, 2014.
15. David Taras and Christopher Waddell, “The 2011 Federal Election and the Transformation of Canadian Media and Politics,” in How Canadians Communicate IV, 74.
16. Lewis Lapham, Gag Rule: On the Suppression of Dissent and the Stifling of Democracy (New York: Penguin Books, 2005), 91–92.
17. Daniel Boorstin, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), 12–13.
18. Eric Alterman, Sound & Fury: The Making of the Punditocracy (New York: HarperCollins, 1992 edition), 296.
19. Carl Sessions Strepp, “Why do people read newspapers?,” American Journalism Review, December/January, 2004.
20. Alterman, Sound & Fury, 307.
21. Ibid., 309.
22. Boorstin, The Image, 12–14.
23. Jeffrey Simpson, The Friendly Dictatorship (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart 2001), 36, 39.
24. Andrew Mitrovica, “Who’s paying for that ‘expert’ opinion?,” iPolitics, March 5, 2013.
25. David Olive, “Crazy, hazy days of convergence: US experience exposes some flaws in media marriages,” National Post, September 16, 2001.
26. Tamara Baluja, “How well are Canadian newspapers doing with paywalls, tablets?” Jsource.ca, January 24, 2014.
27. Justin Trudeau had some 360,000 Twitter followers in 2014, a number that has to be taken seriously as a political force by even the most diehard critics of social media.
28. Delacourt later wrote a book condemning the effects of retail politics and “insiderism” on Canadian politics. The book, Shopping for Votes (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2013), is an interesting account of the development of the political persuasion industry. It is well worth reading by anyone who wants to know how the permanent campaign works and who the players are.
29. Taras and Waddell, “The 2011 Federal Election,” 97–98.
30. Martin Wattenburg, Is Voting for Young People? (New York: Pearson, 2012), 155.
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid., 71.
33. Ibid.
34. Lee Shaker, “Dead newspapers and citizens’ civic engagement,” Political Communication 31:1 (January 2014), 131–148.
35. Taras and Waddell, “The 2011 Federal Election,” 113.
36. See Thierry Giasson, “As (Not) Seen on TV: News Coverage of Political Marketing in Canadian Federal Elections,” in Alex Marland, Thierry Giasson, and Jennifer Lees-Marshment (eds.), Political Marketing in Canada (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2012), ch. 11.
37. Taras and Waddell, “The 2011 Federal Election,” 104.
38. Ibid., 126.
39. Ibid., 127.
40. Pew Research, Amid Criticism, Support for Media’s Watchdog Role Stands Out, www.people-press.org, August 8, 2013. Pew surveyed about 1,400 Americans over a one-week period in July 2013.
41. “The Globe’s election endorsement: Facing up to our challenges,” editorial, Globe and Mail, April 27, 2011.
42. For an interesting analysis of the volume of media coverage of Canadian political parties in recent elections, see Blake Andrew, Patrick Fournier, and Stuart Soroka, “The Canadian Party System,” in Amanda Bittner and Royce Koop (eds.), Parties, Elections and the Future of Canadian Politics (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2013), 161–184.
CHAPTER 3. IT PAYS TO INCREASE YOUR WORD POWER
1. E. Kaye Fulton, “Harper’s message to the news media: I’m in control,” Kingston Whig-Standard, April 20, 2006.
2. When that trouble broke, Harper was president of the National Citizens Coalition. The secretive and somewhat strange right-wing pressure group had started out by buying full-page ads in major newspapers and courted the media to get free publicity for its causes. Under the previous president, David Somerville, the coalition had sent out dozens of press releases and held fairly frequent news conferences. During Harper’s four years as president, press releases were rare and were sent only to Harper’s friends in the media. During those years, Harper held just one news conference. See Gerry Nicholls, Loyal to the Core: Stephen Harper, Me and the NCC (Jordan Station: Freedom Press, 2009), 106.
3. “Harper wins support for control of speeches: But Kenney says gays must try to have kids,” Edmonton Journal, February 15, 2005.
4. In the summer of 2014, the retraction could be found at www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/second-reading/spector-vision/editors-note/article1849177/#dashboard/follows.
5. Tim Naumetz, “Harper Tactics powerful but disturbing,” Ottawa Citizen, March 12, 2007.
6. Lawrence Martin, Harperland: The Politics of Control (Toronto: Viking Canada, 2010), 41.
7. Nicholls, Loyal to the Core, 110.
8. Martin, Harperland, 21, 60.
9. Donald J. Savoie, Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher? (Montreal/Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2013), 213.
10. The MEP details and the black bear press release anecdote are from Lawrence Martin’s Harperland, 58-59; the Bethune House message control anecdote is from the author’s own experience with Bethune House.
11. For an interesting analysis of Obama’s media relations, see Reid Cherlin, “The Presidency & the Press,” Rolling Stone, August 2014.
12. B.J. Siekierski, “Canada up two spots in global press freedom rankings,” iPolitics, February 13, 2014.
13. Bruce Cheadle, “Liberals too lax, Harper swings pendulum toward tight message control,” Canwest News Service, March 31, 2006.
14. Don Martin, “Harper’s hatred for the messenger hurts strategy,” National Post, November 21, 2006.
15. Kate Heartfield, “The Conservative (Media) Party,” Ottawa Citizen, November 7, 2013.
16. Andrew Coyne, “Real conservatives would have scrapped or reformed the CBC. The Tories just profit from it,” National Post, May 30, 2014.
17. Gillian Stewart, “Behind PM’s war with media,” Toronto Star, August 20, 2009.
18. Heartfield, “The Conservative (Media) Party.”
19. William Wray Carney, In the News: The Practice of Media Relations in Canada, 2nd ed. (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 2008), 153.
20. Joan Bryden, Canwest News Service, February 6, 2006.
21. Quoted in Chris Cobb, “Harper’s war on the media,” Ottawa Citizen, April 26, 2006.
22. Denise Rudnicki, “Harper must work on his relationship with the media,” Windsor Star, March 1, 2006.
23. Bruce Cheadle, “Liberals too lax, Harper swings pendulum toward tight message control,” Canwest News Service, March 31, 2006.
24. Canadian Press, April 12, 2006. The author was at this press conference and sat next to Naumetz, who was in the middle of a crowded room and did not appear to know about the press gallery “list” until after Harper called on him to ask his question.
25. Don Martin, “Harper lowers the cone of silence,” Calgary Herald, April 13, 2006, A7.
26. Don Martin, “Harper running a one-man show,” Canwest News Service, March 10, 2006.
27. Heartfield, “The Conservative (Media) Party.”
28. Chris Cobb, “Stephen Harper holds all the cards in his spat with press gallery,” The Montreal Gazette, June 5, 2006, A19.
29. Alexander Panetta, “‘Paranoid’ PM cuts off press gallery,” St. Catharines Standard, May 25, 2006, A2.
30. Allan Fotheringham, “No one cares about press gallery’s woes,” syndicated column published in the Whitehorse Star, September 28, 2006.
31. Claire Hoy, “Not a pressing issue: Harper has no obligation to speak to the press gallery in Ottawa,” Sudbury Star, September 29, 2007.
32. Marc Edge, Asper Nation (Vancouver: New Star Press, 2007), 238; Kady O’Malley, “How did CanWest get its scoop? By going on the PM’s list,” Hill Times, August 28, 2006.
33. Don Martin, “Harper won the battle,” Regina Leader-Post, October 18, 2006.
34. David Akin, On the Hill blog, Canoe.ca, August 25, 2013.
35. Laura Ryckewaert, “Little access on foreign trips,” Hill Times, October 29, 2012.
36. James Travers, “Harper choosing to avoid reporters’ awkward questions,” Toronto Star, May 26, 2007.
37. Canadian Press, “Harper’s bodyguards accused of assaulting Palestinian cameraman,” Torontostar.com, January 20, 2014.
38. Paul Wells, “Our political editor on the controversy over conference coverage,” Macleans.ca, May 29, 2014.
39. The Thibault and Ivison quotes are from Bea Vongdouangchanh, “PMO picks fight, Hill media push back, Conservatives send out letter to supporters attacking ‘media elite’. Journalists say if the PMO is deliberately picking fights to rally Tory base it won’t end well,” Hill Times, September 21, 2013.
40. Josh Wingrove, “Tories decry ‘new low’ for media after standoff over reporters’ access to Harper speech,” Globe and Mail, October 16, 2013; Canadian Press, “Conservatives throw down gauntlet with media,” October 19, 2013.
41. Laura Ryckewaert, “Hill media to push back against access control,” Hill Times, March 17, 2014.
42. Chris Cobb, “Prime minister’s office issues ‘amateurish’ statement questioning credibility of Postmedia reporter,” Ottawa Citizen, January 17, 2013.
43. “Mennonite magazine warned about ‘political’ articles. Canada Revenue Agency’s warning a ‘chill on speech,’ says editor,” CBC.ca, November 9, 2012.
44. Stevie Cameron, Ottawa Inside Out (Toronto: Key Porter, 1989), 214.
45. Lawrence Martin, “Why lying in politics works,” iPolitics, October 10, 2012.
CHAPTER 4. REPLACING THE MEDIA
1. Garth Turner, “F,” www.greaterfool.ca, March 18, 2014.
2. Don Braid, “Ottawa’s weaknesses infect its press gallery,” Windsor Star, January 27, 1987.
3. Preston Manning, The New Canada (Toronto: Macmillan Canada, 1992), 137.
4. Canwest News, March 28, 2006.
5. Tonda MacCharles, “Government plans media centre in shoe store,” Toronto Star, October 15, 2007.
6. Tonda MacCharles, “Government shelves media centre plan,” Toronto Star, October 16, 2007.
7. Gillian Stewart, “Behind PM’s war with media,” Toronto Star, August 20, 2009.
8. Jim Bronskill, “Ethics czar looking into parliamentary secretary’s letter to CRTC,” Canadian Press, October 3, 2013.
9. Among those who’d been offered the story by the Liberals was Jonathan Kay, a senior editor at the National Post.
10. “Layton found in suspected bawdy house: Former cop,” Sunnewsnetwork.com, April 29, 2011.
11. For an NDP insider’s take on this, see Brad Lavigne, Building the Orange Wave (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2013), ch. 12.
12. Steve Laduantaye, “Sun News host Ezra Levant issues rare apology for Roma ‘slurs,’” Globe and Mail, March 18, 2013.
13. Marc Weisblott, “Stephen Harper starts producing his own journalism,” Canada.com, January 9, 2014.
14. Kelly McParland, “Old Tory dogs ready their new digital tricks,” National Post, February 12, 2014; Donovan Vincent, “PM launches new video series about himself,” Guelph Mercury, January 16, 2014; “Stephen Harper’s ‘24 Seven’ show has North Korean vibes,” Huffington Post Canada, January 9, 2014; Jonathon Gatehouse, “Real life with Stephen Harper. Highlights—and lowlights—of the PM’s reality show,” Maclean’s, January 23, 2014.
15. Glen McGregor, “Four staff work on widely-unwatched PM promo videos,” Ottawa Citizen, March 24, 2014.
16. Kady O’Malley, “Harper’s government by Twitter isn’t all bad for journalists,” CBC. ca, October 19, 2013.
17. Dean Beeby, “Feds put cage around government tweets,” Canadian Press, February 3, 2014.
18. Tom Korski, “Feds go Facebook creeping,” Blacklock’s Reporter, December 1, 2013.
19. Bruce Cheadle and Stephanie Levitz, “Ethnic media monitoring used to track perceptions of immigration minister,” Canadian Press, November 13, 2012.
20. Jeremy Nuttall, “Ethnic media had ‘weird’ invite process to PM press conference: journalist,” 24 Hours Vancouver, January 12, 2014.
21. Kady O’Malley, “Not all ethnic media outlets keen to pose with PM,” CBC.ca, January 23, 2014.
22. “Premier invites only ethnic media to press conference,” CTVnews.ca, January 24, 2014.
23. Stephen Maher, “Giving thanks for religious freedom (except for Wiccans),” Postmedia News, October 15, 2012.
24. Tom Flanagan, Harper’s Team (Montreal/Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2009), 239.
CHAPTER 5. WE DON’T GOVERN BY NUMBERS
1. Interview with Munir Sheikh, April 3, 2014.
2. Dick Field, “The Census Long-Form—a racist document—changes are needed,” Canada Free Press (canadafreepress.com), July 22, 2010.
3. Steven Chase, “Ottawa was told of flaws in census plan, documents show,” Globe and Mail, August 10, 2010.
4. Steven Chase, “Tony Clement clears the air about the census,” theglobeandmail.com, July 21, 2010.
5. Paul Wells, “Stephen Harper Engages in a Little Cowardly Vandalism,” Macleans.ca, July 22, 2010.
6. Steven Chase and Tavia Grant, “Statistics Canada chief falls on his sword over census,” The Globe and Mail, July 22, 2010.
7. Karina Roman, “Tories scrap mandatory long-form census,” CBC.ca, June 26, 2010.
8. Munir Sheikh, testimony to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Technology, July 27, 2010.
9. “Federal government must reconsider decision to scrap the mandatory long form Census: CAUT,” CNW Group, July 2, 2010.
10. “Statisticians ask feds to keep long-form census,” Canadian Press, published in Hamilton Spectator, July 10, 2010.
11. Canadian Sociological Association blog (www.csa-scs-ca), August 9, 2010.
12. Tavia Grant, “Economists decry loss of long-form census,” Globe and Mail, July 30, 2010.
13. David A. Green and Kevin Milligan, “The Importance of the Long Form Census to Canada,” Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de politiques 36.3 (2010): 384–388.
14. “Health at risk if long form census cut, say experts,” Hamilton Spectator, September 3, 1010.
15. Roger Collier, “Long-form census change worries health researchers,” Canadian Medical Association Journal (September 12, 2010).
16. Marsha Cohen and Paul C. Hébert, editorial, Canadian Medical Association Journal (September 7, 2010).
17. Karen Howlett and Les Perreaux, “Premiers make a furtive bid for truce on long-form census,” Globe and Mail, July 29, 2010.
18. Zijad Delic, “For Canadian Muslims, long-form census is ‘reliable data,’” Canadian Islamic Congress Friday Magazine (canadianislamiccongress.com), July 27, 2010.
19. Mags Storey, “Religious groups concerned about census reform,” Christian Week (www.christianweek.org), August 13, 2010.
20. Munir Sheikh, “Good government and Statistics Canada: The need for true independence,” Academic Matters (May 2013).
21. “Internal survey blasts feds for missing database,” Canadian Press, May 10, 2014.
22. Heather Scoffeld, “Cancellation of long-form census taking toll on Statistics Canada data,” Canadian Press, October 26, 2012; Joe Friesen, “New language data gets lost in translation,” Globe and Mail, October 27, 2012.
23. Munir Sheikh, lecture, University of Ottawa, April 3, 2014.
24. Munir Sheikh, “Canada has lost its census anchor,” Globe and Mail, May 9, 2013.
25. “Statistics Canada comprehensively reviewing how it gathers data,” Postmedia News, February 28, 2014.
26. Quoted in Sheikh, “Good government and Statistics Canada.”
27. Conrad Black, “The case against being dumb on crime,” National Post, February 19, 2011, quoted in Paula Mallea, Fearmonger: Will Stephen Harper’s Billions For His Tough-On-Crime Agenda Make Our Streets Any Safer? (Toronto: James Lorimer and Co., 2011), 16.
28. “Tories pressing on with tough-on-crime agenda,” Hamilton Spectator, August 6, 2012.
29. In the past fifteen years, the author, who lives in downtown Ottawa, has had his bike and car stolen (the car was returned by the thief), along with several tools, two quick-cut concrete saws and some small change and CDs. This has hardened my views on petty crime and the inability of the police to do much about it.
30. Sexual assault reporting rates are an exception. Most go unreported.
31. Edward Greenspan, “Tough on crime, weak on evidence,” United Church Observer, June 2012.
32. Dean Beeby, “Report cites lack of confidence in courts,” Canadian Press, February 18, 2014.
33. Conrad Black, “Canada’s inhumane prison plan,” National Post, May 31, 2010.
34. “Justice Canada chops research budget, tightens control over subject matter,” Canadian Press, May 11, 2014.
35. Interview with Kevin Page, May 22, 2014.
36. Greenspan, “Tough on crime, weak on evidence.”
37. Kelly McParland, “Tories’ tough-on-crime agenda means jammed jails stuffed with minority Canadians,” National Post, November 28, 2013.
38. “Tough on crime? Take a close look,” editorial, Peterborough Examiner, March 14, 2015.
39. Annie Bergeron-Oliver, “Guards and nurses raise red flag over cuts to prison nursing hours,” iPolitics, June 2, 2015.
40. Adelina Iftene and Allan Manson, “Recent crime legislation and the challenge for prison health care,” Canadian Medical Association Journal 185.10 (July 9, 2013): 886–889.
41. Quoted in Elaine Hyshka, Janet Butler-McPhee, Richard Elliott, Evan Wood, and Thomas Kerr, “Canada moving backwards on illegal drugs,” Canadian Journal of Public Health 103.2 (March/April 2012): 125–127.
42. “Correctional officers send loud message to Harper government that their ‘Tough on Crime’ agenda is putting Canadians’ safety at greater risk,” Canada NewsWire, September 16, 2012; Laura Stone, “‘These guys have to get out’: Prison guards union to campaign against Conservatives,” Globalnews.ca, May 26, 2014.
43. Howard Sapers, Annual Report of the Correctional Investigator of Canada, 2009–2010 (June 30, 2010), www.oci-bec.gc.ca.
44. For a good journalistic analysis of this issue, see Nathan Stall, “Imprisoning the mentally ill,” Canadian Medical Association Journal 185.3 (February 19, 2013): 201–202.
45. Gary Chaimowitz, “The treatment of mental illness in correctional settings,” Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 57.1 (January 2012): B1–B2, C1–C2.
46. Noni MacDonald, Stephen Hucker, and Paul Hébert, “The crime of mental illness,” Canadian Medical Association Journal 182.12 (September 21, 2010): 1399.
47. “Courts to receive new powers,” Canadian Press, February 9, 2013.
48. Edward Greenspan and Anthony Doob, “Harper’s ‘tough on crime’ is all torque,” Globe and Mail, January 16, 2013.
49. Amy Dempsey, “Law on mentally ill offenders under fire ‘Not Criminally Responsible’ changes ignore science and research, experts say,” Toronto Star, April 22, 2014.
50. John Geddes, “Are we really soft on crime?,” Maclean’s, November 9, 2009.
51. Alex Himelfarb blog (afhimelfarb.wordpress.com), May 29, 2011.
52. Sean Fine, “Court hearing pits Ottawa against judges,” Globe and Mail, January 23, 2014.
53. “Minimum sentence for drug trafficking struck down by B.C. judge,” CBC.ca, February 19, 2014.
54. Geddes, “Are we really soft on crime?”
CHAPTER 6. HHARPER AND HISTORY
1. Graeme Hamilton, “Young Quebecers quick to adopt nationalist vision of province’s history, survey finds,” National Post, February 18, 2014; Jocelyn Letourneau, Je me souviens? Le passé du Québec dans la conscience de sa jeunesse (Anjou, QC: EditionsFides, 2014).
2. Alan Taylor, The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies (New York: Vintage, 2011), 313–317.
3. Steven Chase and Daniel Leblanc, “‘Little-known war’ of 1812 a big deal for Ottawa,” Globe and Mail, August 10, 2012.
4. Randy Boswell, “Library and Archives Canada buys War of 1812 memorabilia for almost $700,000,” Postmedia News story from Alaska Highway News, June 21, 2013.
5. Stephen Chase, “Move over, Laurier: Ottawa plans 1812 war monument,” Globe and Mail, September 12, 2012; “Monument to Mark War of 1812 as military struggles to get Afghan war recognized,” Postmedia, version printed in the Kamloops Daily News, September 12, 2012.
6. Murray Brewster, “Recalling and recognizing War of 1812 tough for Canadians: DND survey,” Canadian Press, August 28, 2012.
7. David Pugliese, “MacKay takes liberties with 1812 history in Bastille Day speech,” Regina Leader-Post, July 18, 2012.
8. Alex Boutilier, “Ottawa spent $69 million on advertising in 2012,” Toronto Star, February 7, 2014.
9. Stephanie Levitz, “Bureaucrats proposed birthday party for charter, but Tories refuse to RSVP,” Canadian Press, June 7, 2012.
10. George Naismith, Canada’s Sons and Great Britain in the World War (Toronto: The John C. Winston Co., 1919). From the introduction by Gen. Sir Arthur Currie.
11. For the best Canadian study of the remaking of war memory, see Jonathan Vance, Death So Noble: Memory, Meaning and the First World War (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997 edition).
12. Noah Richler, What We Talk About When We Talk About War (Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2012), 70–71.
13. Ibid., 86.
14. Lee-Anne Goodman, “Is government trying to reshape Cdn history?,” Canadian Press, October 16, 2013.
15. Richler, What We Talk About, 204–205.
16. The author has served as a contract consultant to the Canadian War Museum on research connected to media and war.
17. Richler, What We Talk About, 67.
18. James Loney, “War Never Again,” Blacklock’s Reporter, March 23, 2014.
19. Tom Spears, “New e-passport’s historic scenes a study in ‘triumphalism,’ historians say,” Ottawa Citizen, October 26, 2012.
20. Quoted in Stephen Maher, “Canadians seem to be getting tired of the often nasty man at 24 Sussex,” Postmedia News, May 9, 2014.
21. Richard Madan, “Families of fallen soldiers invited to Ottawa service must pay own way,” CTV.ca, April 2, 2014.
22. Mike Blanchfield, “DND cited concerns of ‘militarization’ and cancelled planned ceremony on Parliament Hill,” Canadian Press, March 17, 2014.
23. Nimijean, “Domestic Brand Politics and the Modern Publicity State,” 176.
24. Jane Taber, “Placement of ‘Mother Canada’ statue has Cape Bretoners on war footing,” Globe and Mail, March 7, 2014.
25. David Pugliese, “Pearson Centre for peacekeeping could shut its doors,” Ottawa Citizen, September 26, 2013.
26. Maria Cook, “NCC adds military content to sound and light show on Parliament Hill,” Ottawa Citizen, July 9, 2013.
27. Murray Brewster, “Canadian soldiers go back to the future with British-style ranks,” Canadian Press, July 8, 2013.
28. Rabinovitch had a special place on the Tories’ list of villains because he was one of the architects of Pierre Trudeau’s National Energy Program.
29. Mike De Souza, “Stephen Harper’s Conservatives plan review of Canadian history,” Canada.com, May 2, 2013.
30. Kathryn Blaze Carlson, “‘Muscular’ guide to be released; Conservatives re-write citizenship handbook to focus on responsibilities,” National Post, November 12, 2009; “Rewrite of citizenship guide ordered,” Canadian Press, April 29, 2009.
31. Jim Bronskill, “Federal snooping agency gets big budget increase, watchdogs face cuts,” Canadian Press, February 27, 2014.
32. Lee Berthiaume, “Veterans urge Stephen Harper government to avoid ‘Cadillac’ version of war commemorations,” Postmedia News, February 10, 2014.
33. Interview with Gordon Moore, April 4, 2014.
34. Darcy Knoll and Scott Taylor, “Ombudsman Stogran: Lookin’ to fight for the veteran,” Esprit de Corps (December 2007): 22.
35. Interview with Pat Stogran, April 2, 2014.
36. Jack Granatstein, “The disgrace at Veterans Affairs Canada,” Globe and Mail, October 15, 2010.
37. Interview with Sean Bruyea, April 4, 2014.
38. Yves Frenette, “Conscripting Canada’s past: The Harper government and the politics of memory,” Canadian Journal of History 49 (Spring 2014): 49–65.
CHAPTER 7. THE WAR ON BRAINS
1. Max Paris, “Experimental Lakes closure risks federally funded research,” CBC.ca, March 19, 2013; the explanatory material on nanosilver is from www.beyondpesticides.org/antibacterial/nano.php.
2. C. Scott Findlay, “Ottawa’s dangerous unscientific revolution,” Toronto Star, October 11, 2012.
3. Bob Weber, “2,900 from around the globe sign petition against Tory science cuts,” Canadian Press, July 19, 2012.
4. Mia Rabson, “Scientist takes on Ottawa to try to save ELA,” Winnipeg Free Press, October 27, 2012.
5. Mike De Souza, “NRC managers frustrate staff: 3 out of 5 science-agency employees surveyed question decisions made,” Postmedia News, February 13, 2014.
6. Douglas Quan, “Scientists and journalists call on Harper to end gag order,” Postmedia News, February 18, 2012.
7. Editorial, “Frozen Out,” Nature 483.6 (March 1, 2012).
8. Quan, “Scientists and journalists call on Harper to end gag order.”
9. Ibid.
10. Janet Davidson, “Are Canada’s federal scientists being ‘muzzled’?,” CBC.ca, March 27, 2012.
11. Margaret Munro, “Environment minister’s office kept scientist from speaking, documents reveal,” Postmedia News, November 30, 2012.
12. Lawrence Martin, “Should Peter Kent still be in the broadcasters’ hall of fame?,” iPolitics, December 5, 2012.
13. Quirin Schiermeier, “River reveals chilling tracks of ancient flood,” Nature, March 31, 2010.
14. Gary Corbett, “Harper government’s disdain for science,” Ottawa Life, September 2012.
15. Mike De Souza, “Federal scientists muzzled on oilsands,” Postmedia News, November 5, 2012.
16. Richard Jolley, “Cuts and red tape are gagging US and Canadian science,” New Scientist (April 14, 2012).
17. Laura Payton and Max Paris, “Health Canada library changes leave scientists scrambling. Main Health Canada research library closed, access outsourced to retrieval company,” CBC.ca, January 20, 2014.
18. Interview with Katie Gibbs, February 10, 2014
19. Joseph Hall, “Historical letters not wanted at Library and Archives Canada, critics say,” Toronto Star, March 10, 2013.
20. Much of the file is still hidden. It will stay that way because the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear Bronskill’s appeal of a lower court’s decision that the file—which holds reports written from the 1930s until Douglas’s death almost three decades ago—holds material that could jeopardize ongoing investigations and burn secret sources.
21. Ex Libris Association Backgrounder on Library and Archives Canada, “Timeline on Library and Archives Canada Service Decline after 2004,” http://exlibris.pbworks.com.
22. Margaret Munro, “Federal librarians fear being ‘muzzled’ under new code of conduct,” Postmedia News, March 15, 2013.
23. Editorial, “Ottawa’s muzzling of librarians’ free speech is intolerable,” Calgary Herald, March 25, 2013.
24. Daniel J. Caron, letter, “Re: New code a ‘muzzle,’ March 16,” Ottawa Citizen, March 21, 2013.
25. “Head of Library and Archives resigns over Spanish lessons. Billed taxpayers nearly $4,500,” Canadian Press, May 15, 2013.
26. Teresa Smith and Chris Cobb, “Big-spending head of library resigns; ‘Titanic expenses’ totaled about $170,000 in two years,” Ottawa Citizen, May 15, 2013.
27. Randy Boswell, “Library and Archives Canada buys War of 1812 memorabilia for almost $700,000,” Postmedia News, June 21, 2013.
CHAPTER 8. FRAT BOYS AND CHEERLEADERS
1. Michael Harris, “Harper and the ‘Merchant of Venom,’” iPolitics, March 16, 2014.
2. Nicholls, Loyal to the Core, 128.
3. For an interesting discussion of Harper’s connection to the American right, see Brooke Jeffrey, “The Harper Minority and Majority Myth: Implementing the Conservative Agenda,” presentation to the Canadian Political Science Association 2011 Annual Conference, Waterloo, Ontario, May 18, 2011. I used a draft version available through Google Scholar. The material on Rove and Luntz is from p. 8 of the draft version that was online in June 2014, while the connection between Luntz’s language manipulation and Harper’s framing of the 2008 coalition attempt is from p. 11.
4. Andrew Heard, “The Governor General’s Decision to Prorogue Parliament,” Constitutional Forum 18.1 (2009), quoted in Jeffrey, “The Harper Minority and Majority Myth.”
5. See “‘Four Sad Faces and a Smiley’: A Political Topology of Civic and Olympic Spaces at the 2010 Winter Games,” in Rethinking Matters Olympic: Investigations into the Socio-Cultural Study of the Modern Olympic Movement Tenth International Symposium (London, ON: International Centre for Olympic Studies, The University of Western Ontario 2010), 233.
6. Allan Woods, “Harper shows Stairs the door: Emerson affair costs communications chief his job, source says,” Ottawa Citizen, February 21, 2006; Don Martin, “Harper the real captain at helm of lousy communications strategy,” Edmonton Journal, February 23, 2006.
7. Keith Beardsley, “Tory backbenchers rise up against the boys in short pants,” National Post, October 15, 2012.
8. Glen McGregor, “PMO denies claim that depression paralyzes Harper,” Ottawa Citizen, April 16, 2014; Martin, Harperland.
9. McGregor, “PMO denies claim that depression paralyzes Harper.”
10. Abbas Rana, “Conservatives could lose next election if Harper keeps picking fights, says Flanagan,” Hill Times, May 12, 2014.
11. Samara, “By Invitation Only: Canadians’ Perceptions of Political Parties,” report, February 16, 2014.
12. Marchand is a cousin of the author.
13. Andrew McIntosh, “Ex-MP must pay $16,362 to Bloc for underspending,” National Post, December 4, 2003.
14. Campbell Clark, “Speaker rebukes Bev Oda over document in Kairos case,” Globe and Mail, February 10, 2011.
15. Martin, Harperland, 117.
16. James Adams, “Canadian Conference of the Arts vows to live on, despite funding loss,” Globe and Mail, June 20, 2012.
17. Index on Censorship: The voice of free expression (indexoncensorship.org), August 16, 2013.
18. Garth Turner, Sheeple: Caucus Confidential in Stephen Harper’s Ottawa (Toronto: Key Porter, 2009), 128.
19. Blacklock’s Reporter, December 13, 2013.
20. Tom Korski, “Energy Board Spies on Pipe Critics; Calls RCMP & CSIS,” Blacklock’s Reporter, November 4, 2013.
21. Interview with Elizabeth May, May 5, 2014.
22. Mark Hume, “RCMP, intelligence agency accused of spying on pipeline opponents,” Globe and Mail, February 6, 2014.
23. Tom Korski, “RCMP to Watch ‘Anti-Oilsands’ Crowd: Memo,” Blacklock’s Reporter, Tuesday, November 5, 2013.
24. Tom Korski, “Oil Lobby Made the Law?,” Blacklock’s Reporter, December 13, 2013.
25“Climate change scientist calls conservatives ‘Neanderthal,’” CBC.ca, April 27, 2013.
26. Evan Solomon and Kristen Everson, “7 environmental charities face Canada Revenue Agency audits,” CBC.ca, February 6, 2014.
27. Jason Fekete, “Budget will crack down on charities with links to charity, organized crime: Flaherty,” Postmedia News, February 7, 2014.
28. Matthew Millar, “Flaherty cites terrorism when asked why CRA is auditing environmental charities,” Vancouver Observer, February 13, 2014.
29. Mike De Sousa and James Woods, “Feds list First Nations, green groups as oilsands ‘adversaries,’” Postmedia News, April 3 2012.
30. Tom Korski, “MPs vote 258 to 1 on seal bill,” Blacklock’s Reporter, May 29, 2014.
31. Michael Harris, “Tory MP insists he did not want reporter fired,” iPolitics, November 5, 2012.
CHAPTER 9. HOUSE OF CLOWNS
1. George MacDonald Fraser, Flash for Freedom, quoted in Tony Smith, “Parliamentary ethics and political failure: a state of confusion,” AQ 83.4 (June 2012): 4.
2. The author worked as Turner’s assistant business editor at the Toronto Sun in 1979–80.
3. Turner tells his story in Sheeple.
4. Garth Turner, National Post excerpt of Sheeple, April 29, 2009.
5. Turner, Sheeple, 126.
6. Ibid., 15.
7. Donald J. Savoie, Breaking the Bargain (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003), 223.
8. David E. Smith, The People’s House of Commons (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007), 23.
9. For an excellent examination of the role of MPs and the coercive power of prime ministers over those on the government side of the House of Commons, see Savoie, Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher?, ch. 2.
10. Steven Erlinger and Stephen Castle, “British parliament votes down air strike,” New York Times, August 28, 2013.
11. Interview with Elizabeth May, May 5, 2014.
12. Jason Fekete and Lee Berthiaume, “Truant Trudeau says he’s in touch with Canadians outside Ottawa,” Ottawa Citizen, May 2, 2014.
13. Library of Parliament Research Office.
14. Tom Korski, “Accidental sugar tax is averted,” Blacklock’s Reporter, October 9,
2013.
15. Hansard, March 25, 1994.
16“MP Rathgeber refuses to be ‘cheerleader’ and quits Tory caucus,” CBC.ca, June 6, 2013.
17. Josh Wingrove, “Former Tory whip slams party’s decision to strip private member’s bill,” Globe and Mail, February 28, 2014.
18. Joan Bryden, “Conservative MPs challenge their own government,” Canadian Press, January 24, 2014.
19. David Oldroyd, “The Role of Accounting in Public Expenditure and Monetary Policy in the First Century AD Roman Empire,” Accounting Historians Journal 22.2 (December 1995): 124.
20. Report of the Auditor General of Canada, 1976, 9.
21. Ibid., 14.
22. Interview with Kevin Page, May 22, 2014.
23. Savoie, Breaking the Bargain, 222–223.
24. Julian Beltrame, “Watchdog warns of Tory secrecy; MPs losing ability to do their job, Kevin page tells Commons committee,” Postmedia News, from Kamloops Daily News, February 16, 2011.
25. Interview with Kevin Page, May 22, 2014.
26. Laura Ryckewaert, “Hill journalists say there’s too much government information control and Parliament has lost its power,” Hill Times, March 1, 2014.
27. Bill Curry, “Internal memo reveals Ottawa cut labour market data spending,” Globe and Mail, June 11, 2014.
28. Jordan Press, “Nominee for privacy commissioner questioned,” Ottawa Citizen, May 29, 2014.
29. Ibid.
30. Daniel Leblanc, “Critics decry new Privacy Commissioner’s appointment,” Globe and Mail, June 2, 2015.
31. Paul McLeod, “Watchdogs’ efforts to pry lid off government secrecy often doomed to fail,” Halifax Chronicle Herald, March 3, 2014.
32“Ex-McGill hospital boss Arthur Porter arrested in Panama,” CBC.ca, May 28, 2013.
33. Minutes of the House of Commons Committee on Procedural and House Affairs, May 1, 2014.
34. Tonda MacCharles, “Canada’s lawyers demand Stephen Harper withdraw criticism of chief justice,” Toronto Star, May 13, 2014; Tonda MacCharles, “Joe Clark, Paul Martin criticize PM’s attack on chief justice,” Toronto Star, May 20, 2015.
35. Savoie, Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher?, 146.
36. Among the people who vetted the appointment was respected economist Don Drummond, whose sweeping recommendations for efficiency in the Ontario government would later be ignored by premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.
37. Interview with Kevin Page, May 22, 2014.
38. Jessica Bruno, “Page’s high profile, high transparency, scaring some backbenchers off: Tory MP,” Hill Times, April 2, 2013.
39. Interview with Kevin Page, May 22, 2014.
40. Meagan Fitzpatrick, “Parliamentary Budget Officer says she’s not getting requested information,” CBC News, July 22, 2013.
41. Joan Bryden and Bruce Cheadle, “Tory cabinet minister launches astonishing personal attack on elections watchdog Marc Mayrand,” Canadian Press, April 8, 2014.
42. Joan Bryden, “Elections bill illustrates Harper’s vindictiveness, pragmatism, Flanagan says,” Canadian Press, April 28, 2014.
43. Tonda MacCharles, “Tories drop RCMP complaints commissioner,” Toronto Star, November 27, 2009.
44. For the best recent analysis of the prime minister’s role and power, see Savoie, Whatever Happened to the Music Teacher?, ch. 4.
CHAPTER 10. THE SECRET GOVERNMENT
1. Martin, Harperland, 130.
2. Ken Rubin and Kirsten Kozolanka, “Managing Information,” in Kozolanka, Publicity and the Canadian State, 196.
3. Ibid., 197.
4. Ken Rubin and Kirsten Kozolanka, “Managing Information,” in Kozolanka, Publicity and the Canadian State, 214.
5. Robert Marleau, Report of the Information Commissioner of Canada, 2006. See pages 1, 8–9, 22.
6. Canadian Newspaper Association, “Government Unfairly Slows Access to Information, Information Commissioner Concludes,” press release, Canadian Newswire, September 8, 2008.
7. Jennifer Ditchburn, “Tory staff interfered in access to info: Watchdog,” Canadian Press, April 10, 2014.
8. Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, “Our right to information is disappearing,” www.cjfe.org, November 30, 2012.
9. Robert Marleau, Report of the Information Commissioner of Canada, 2009–2010.
10. Suzanne Legault, Report of the Information Commissioner of Canada, 2010–2011.
11. Suzanne Legault, Report of the Information Commissioner of Canada, 2012–2013.
12. Jim Bronskill, “Feds losing ground on timely access-to-information responses: Commissioner,” Canadian Press, January 14, 2012.
13. Elizabeth Thompson, “PM’s former chief of staff criticizes government secrecy, calls for greater access to documents,” iPolitics, September 30, 2013.
14. Jennifer Ditchburn, “Bureaucrat muzzled in midst of Senate scandal,” Canadian Press, March 4, 2014.
15. James Cudmore, “Army commander promises discipline against media leaks,” CBC.ca, January 13, 2014.
16. David Pugliese, “Harper muzzle will hurt DND: Retired general,” Ottawa Citizen, December 12, 2007.
17. James Cudmore, “How one defence staffer stood up for Access to Information,” CBC.ca, March 2, 2014.
18. The Bloc Québécois and Green Party had MPs elected in the 2011, but only the Conservatives, New Democrats and Liberals had the minimum of twelve that are needed to qualify for official party status.
19. Kady O’Malley, “MPs drop bid to impose lifetime gag orders on Hill staff,” CBC.ca, March 26, 2014.
20. Elizabeth Thompson, “Political parties collecting ‘creepy’ amount of information on voters: privacy expert,” iPolitics, September 27, 2013.
21. Tom Korski, “Feds go Facebook creeping,” Blacklock’s Reporter, December 1, 2013.
22. Tom Korski, “Facebook creeping makes better gov’t: Treasury Board,” Blacklock’s Reporter, December 3, 2013.
23. Hansard, December 2, 2013.
24. Susana Mas, “Cyberbullying bill surveillance powers alarm Ontario privacy watchdog,” CBC.ca, May 23, 2014.
25. Michael Geist, “From Toews to Todd: The Unraveling of the government’s lawful access sales strategy,” Michael Geist blog (Michaelgeist.ca), May 23, 2014.
26. Tom Korski, “Federal agency had secret file on ‘Occupy’ protesters,” Blacklock’s Reporter, August 27, 2013.
27. Hansard, December 2, 2013.
28. Alex Boutilier, “Taxpayers shelling out for Ottawa’s Snooping,” Toronto Star, May 1, 2014.
29. Susan Delacourt, “No gifts please, we’re politicians. Just send postal codes,” Toronto Star, March 5, 2013.
30. David Pugliese, “Government orders federal departments to keep tabs on all demonstrations across the country,” Ottawa Citizen, June 4, 2014.
31. Katie Collins, “Espionage in a post-privacy society,” Wired.com, May 20, 2014.
32. Justin Ling, “The Canadian government’s ‘secure’ phones come straight from the NSA,” motherboard.vice.com, April 25, 2014.
33. The trade goes back thousands of years. Mary, Queen of Scots, was done in by signals intelligence. Tudor spies collected her secret messages and broke the code. So were German pilots who flew into clouds of Spitfire and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain because geniuses in Poland and England had unravelled the secret of the German Enigma code machine. And four Japanese aircraft carriers are on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean because the Americans cracked Japan’s Purple code before the Battle of Midway.
34. Jim Bronskill, “Federal snooping agency gets big budget increase, watchdogs face cuts,” Canadian Press, February 27, 2014.
35. Dale Smith, “Critics show teeth on spy agencies: ‘We need action,’” Blacklock’s Reporter, January 29, 2014.
36. Jim Bronskill, “Spy agency uncovers ‘serious breaches,’” Canadian Press, March 16, 2014.
37. Paul McLeod, “Telecom data regularly tapped,” Chronicle Herald, March 25, 2014.
38. Paul McLeod, “Government makes over a million requests a year for data,” Chronicle Herald, April 29, 2014.
39. Carl Meyer, “Little-known federal monitoring centre tracked bee protest,” Embassy, February 12, 2014.
40. Alex Boutilier, “Ottawa imposes life-long gag order on bureaucrats, lawyers,” Toronto Star, March 13, 2014.
41. Elizabeth Thompson, “Canadian government increasingly asking for content to be pulled offline,” iPolitics, November 23, 2012.
42. Bill Curry, “Judge raps Justice officials for treatment of whistle-blower,” Globe and Mail, January 16, 2013.
CHAPTER 11. BAFFLE THEM WITH BULLSHIT
1. Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange, Leafs AbomiNation: The Dismayed Fan’s Handbook to Why the Leafs Stink and How They Can Rise Again (Toronto: Random House, 2009), 13.
2. J. Grant Glassco, Royal Commission on Government Organization (Ottawa: Queen’s Printer, 1962), 69–70, quoted in Randal Marlin, Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion (Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2013), 283–284.
3. Nimijean, “Domestic Brand Politics,” 175.
4. Steve Bandera, “Ottawa communications firm linked to federal departments and F-35 manufacturer,” CTVnews.ca, September 22, 2012.
5“B.C. scientist reinstated by Ottawa after phrase flap,” CBC.ca, September 19, 2006.
6. David Taras and Christopher Waddell, “The 2011 Federal Election and the Transformation of Canadian Media and Politics,” in How Canadians Communicate IV, 373.
7. Chris Purdy, “Man who killed police dog sentenced to 26 months in prison,” Globe and Mail, February 28, 2014.
8. Eric Reguly, “Canada’s $207,000 oil sands ad: Putting a price on deception,” Globe and Mail, May 9, 2014.
9. Bill Curry, “Government spends millions on ads for ‘Economic Action Plan’ that ended two years ago,” Globe and Mail, January 25, 2014.
10. Ibid.
11. Alex Boutelier, “Ottawa spent $69 million on advertising in 2012,” Toronto Star, February 7, 2014.
12. Curry, “Government spends millions on ads for ‘Economic Action Plan.’”
13. Dean Beeby, “Canadians getting tired of Economic Action Plan ads, surveys suggest,” Canadian Press, February 17, 2012; Dean Beeby, “Harper ‘Action Plan’ ads ‘creating apathy’ for many Canadians: Survey,” Canadian Press, July 23, 2013.
14. Dean Beeby, “Canadians getting tired of Economic Action Plan ads.”
15. Editorial, “Action-plan ads are ineffective,” Globe and Mail, July 23, 2013.
16. Tim Naumetz, “Conservatives painting Government of Canada website blue, organizing by themes not departments, NDP says new look obscuring sensitive facts,” Hill Times, March 19, 2014.
17. Peter O’Malley, “Harperites’ secret plan to ‘streamline’ websites likely to cut public access to vital information,” Straightgoods.ca, April 4, 2013.
18. Karolyn Koorsh, “‘We’re nothing to you’: Spouse of veteran with PTSD confronts Fantino over funding,” CTV.ca, May 28, 2014.
19. Laura Stone, “Veterans Affairs Canada spent $100,000 on promoted tweets: Documents,” Globalnews.ca, May 13, 2014.
20. Flanagan, Harper’s Team, 232.
21. Martin, Harperland, 131.
22. Alex Marland, “Political photography, journalism, and framing in the Digital Age: The management of visual media by the Prime Minister of Canada,” International Journal of Press/Politics 17.214 (February 2012): 220.
23. Ibid., 224.
24. Details of Marland’s study are from Marland, “Political photography, journalism and framing in the Digital Age.”
25. Stephen Maher, “Conservatives’ email blast targets Aga Khan followers,” Postmedia News, March 5, 2014.
CHAPTER 12. ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK!
1. Many writers erroneously claim the prize was given to the Edmonton Journal when, in fact, the coverage of the time shows it was meant to honour all of the papers that fought the press law. As the main daily in the provincial capital, the Edmonton Journal accepted the prize on behalf of the newspapers. Aberhart’s colourful descriptions and the details of his Press Bill are from W.H. Kesterton, A History of Journalism in Canada (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1967), 226–233. Toronto Star reporter/photographer Paul Watson was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for an iconic photograph of Somalis abusing the body of an American.
2. Kathryn Blaze Carlson, “New book describes Harper as controlling, ‘Nixonian’ leader,” Globe and Mail, April 10, 2014.
3. Adam Daifallahand Tasha Kheiriddin, Rescuing Canada’s Right (Toronto: Wiley, 2005), 92–93.
4. Edge, Asper Nation, 108.
5“Ex-Harper aide Bruce Carson charged with influence peddling,” CBC.ca, July 27, 2012.
6. Laura Payton, “Bruce Carson, former PMO staffer, faces new charges,” CBC.ca, May 12, 2014.
7. Linda Diebel, “Meanness is a way of life in Ottawa,” Toronto Star, November 20, 2013.
8. Tim Harper, “Tribunal will rule whether Ottawa retaliated against native rights advocate Cindy Blackstock,” Toronto Star, October 22, 2012.
9. Ian Macleod, “The implications of the federal government’s monitoring of social media,” Ottawa Citizen, November 29, 2013.
10. http://ezralevant.com/2008/02/ive-been-threatened-with-anoth.html
11. The author’s wife is currently a corporate counsel to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The author has no idea what she does in the course of her work. She started working for the commission in 2010, after the Steyn and Levant cases were resolved.
12. Amy Minsky and Tom Clark, “Ministerial staff asked to develop blacklists in lead-up to shuffle: source,” Global News, July 7, 2013; Amy Minsky, ‘Request for ‘enemy’ list speaks to PMO need for control: Opposition,” Global News, July 16, 2013.
13. Mark Kennedy, “Rae accuses PMO of disrespecting Parliament,” Postmedia, February 25, 2011.
14. In previous incarnations, this type of overeager, hyper-loyal, amoral and often annoying young people were called “ratfuckers,” a term that emerged during the Watergate scandal. Nixon White House operative Donald Segretti self-identified as a ratfucker and admitted to running a dirty tricks squad engaged in forgery, smears, and petty dirty tricks. Segretti did a short stretch in jail after Watergate. In 2008, he was head of Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s election campaign committee in Orange County, California.
15. Althia Raj, “Trudeau protest was manned by Tory interns and organized by PMO,” Huffington Post, June 25, 2013.
16. James Munson, “Mackay’s office won’t comment on link to ‘bozo eruption’ tape,” iPolitics, June 5, 2014.
17. Rick Westhead, “Canada muzzles foreign diplomats,” Toronto Star, June 21, 2013.
18. Roland Paris, The Digital Diplomacy Revolution: Why Is Canada Lagging Behind? (Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, June 2013).
19. Pierre Karl Péladeau, “All’s not fair in war,” Torontosun.ca, April 27, 2011.
20. Laurie Watt, “PM’s office sends details of Trudeau’s talk at Georgian,” Barrie Advance, July 17, 2013.
21. Glen McGregor, “Cotler calls spark complaint against polling firm,” Ottawa Citizen, December 16, 2011.
22. Joan Bryden, “Tory pollster rebuked for misleading campaign against MP Irwin Cotler,” Canadian Press, November 28, 2012.
23. Althia Raj, “Irwin Cotler: Speaker says Tory phone calls in Liberal’s riding ‘reprehensible,’ but finds no breach of privilege,” Huffington Post, February 27, 2012; Althia Raj, “Irwin Cotler: Liberal MP expresses outrage over Tory calls claiming a byelection looms in his riding,” Huffington Post, February 27, 2012.
24“Ex-Tory adviser Saulie Zajdel arrested in corruption probe,” CBC.ca, June 12, 2013.
25. Kathryn May, “Budget bill contains surprise reforms aimed at weakening public service unions,” Ottawa Citizen, October 22, 2013.
26. People for the American Way Foundation, “The new face of Jim Crow: Voter suppression in America,” pfaw.org, undated.
27. Rachel E. Berry, “Democratic National Committee v. Edward J. Rollins: Politics as usual or unusual politics,” Race and Ethnic Ancestry Law Digest, footnote 27, quoted in Chandler Davidson, Tanya Dunlap, Gale Kenny, and Benjamin Wise, “Republican Ballot Security Programs: Vote Protection or Minority Vote Suppression—or Both? A Report to the Center for Voting Rights and Protection” (September 2004), 96.
28. Details of the North Dakota and North Carolina robocalls campaigns are from Jason C. Miller, “Regulating robocalls: Are automated calls the sound of a threat to democracy?,” Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review, 2009.
29. Mackenzie Weigner, “Reports: Robo-calls lying to Wisconsin voters,” Politico.com, May 6, 2012.
30. Steve Benen, “Conviction in GOP voter-suppression scheme,” Washington Monthly, December 7, 2011.
31. Kim Zetter, “Malicious robocalls aim at suppressing election day turnout,” Wired.com, February 2, 2010.
32. Tom Korski, “Elections Canada allowed ballot boxes in a gated community clubhouse, a suburban supermarket, a law bowling club,” Hill Times, March 26, 2012.
33. This type of vote suppression is described in Chandler Davidson, Tanya Dunlap, Gale Kenney and Benjamin Wise, “Vote caging as a Republican ballot security technique,” William Mitchell Law Review 34.2 (2008): 536–538.
34. People for the American Way Foundation, “The new face of Jim Crow.”
35. Laura Beaulne-Stuebing, “Elections Commissioner: I was not consulted on Fair Elections Act,” iPolitics, April 1, 2014.
36. Peter Mazereew, “Elections Act changes drop Canada from lofty status: Electoral scholars,” Hill Times, April 16, 2014.
37. Jeffrey Simpson, “The Fair Elections Act is ever so telling,” Globe and Mail, April 16, 2014.
38. Joan Bryden, “Fair Elections Act: Sheila Fraser slams Bill C-23 as attack on democracy,” Canadian Press, April 4, 2014.
39. McLachlin had other reasons had other reasons to be horrified by the PMO’s selection process. One of the four Federal Court judges on the six-person long-list had been warned by the Federal Court of Appeal for cutting and pasting arguments from federal pleadings into his decisions. See Sean Fein, “The secret short list that provoked the rift between Chief Justice and PMO,” theglobeandmail.com, May 23, 2014.
40. Leslie MacKinnon, “Beverley McLachlin, PMO give dueling statements on Nadon appointment fight,” CBC.ca, May 2, 2014; Sean Fine, “Harper says Chief Justice tried to discuss court case with him,” Globe and Mail, May 2, 2014; Statement to the Media by Owen M. Rees, distributed to the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery, May 2, 2014.
41. Glenn Kauth, “Bar alarmed at ‘extraordinary’ situation between Harper, McLachlin,” Canadian Lawyer blog (canadianlawyermag.com), May 5, 2014.
42. Tonda MacCharles, “Stephen Harper changes version of events around phone call by Beverley McLachlin,” Toronto Star, May 14, 2014.
43. Interview with Thomas Mulcair, foyer of the House of Commons, May 5, 2014.
44. Tonda MacCharles, “Canada’s lawyers demand Stephen Harper withdraw criticism of Chief Justice,” Toronto Star, May 13, 2014.
45. Tim Naumetz, “Prime Minister’s Office one of least trusted of federal institutions: poll,” Hill Times, May 28, 2014.
CHAPTER 13. A RRADICAL SOLUTION
1. Allan Gregg, “In defence of reason,” Toronto Star, October 8, 2012.