Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Stephen Harper makes questions more difficult in both languages

WHITEHORSE—It was a bizarre spectacle. One of many when it comes to questioning the prime minister.

A PMO adviser told reporters Monday in advance that Stephen Harper would not provide answers in both official languages, as he has for the past seven years (and he’s uncannily good at repeating the exact same message in both official languages).

It’s a standard request. It means reporters for French- and English-language outlets don’t have to repeat questions and each get replies. And it allows more subjects to be covered since the PM limits the number of questions he’ll take and almost always refuses to answer follow-ups.

Now, the prime minister would only reply in the language in which a question is asked. If reporters wanted an answer in both languages, they had to ask in both.

Not every reporter is bilingual. But in Canada, 7.7 million report French as their first official language spoken. Even in Whitehorse, about 1,450 people report they speak French at home.

In the end, for the lone French-language reporter on the northern trip — allotted just one question of the six Harper would take on Monday — it meant he ended up listing all the previous questions he’d like the prime minister to repeat in French for Radio-Canada’s television and radio programming.

Earlier this summer, when Harper shuffled his cabinet, he also took only a few questions and declined to respond to the usual request for bilingual answers.

Many chalked it up to his being in a bad mood amid the bad news summer — senate audits, floods, train crashes.

It is, however, the new practice.

Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Tonda MacCharles

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