Word: approachers
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...government that wants to keep the press at bay. They have been stationing themselves in a gallery opposite the entrance to the Cabinet room for at least 30 years. Journalists say that being barred them from their regular third-floor perch means they no longer have a chance to approach (i.e., shout questions at) the meeting's participants and that ministers who want to avoid the press will be freer to do so. "It's a concrete example of how the Prime Minister's Office is trying to restrict and control which members of the Cabinet talk to Canadians...
...Running a tight ship, stanching leaks and otherwise imposing message discipline are only part of the battle, says University of Western Ontario journalism professor Michael Nolan, a former parliamentary reporter. He says a rigorous approach to governing has to be tempered with a sense of responsiveness to the public. "A good politician is manipulative, but he doesn't appear to be manipulative," Nolan says. "There's almost a naivet? to Mr. Harper's group because they seem to be doing this so openly...
...Liberal backbench, the unexpected policy change on missile defense, and Martin's "Blame America" tirades during the election left the Bush White House convinced that Canada's jovial, well-meaning leader was as untrustworthy as his predecessor, Jean Chr?tien. Harper, on the other hand, has based his entire approach to Washington on the proposition that that won't happen on his watch. "What's important in dealing with Americans is the absence of surprise," says Derek Burney, former chief of staff to ex-PM Brian Mulroney. "The last government never really focused on Canadian foreign policy, so you kept getting...
...manage interdependent economies that have begun to strain the continent's infrastructure. The real question is how far to push the pace of change--and here Harper is surprisingly, and uncharacteristically, modest. He noted with approval that officials of all three nations have been instructed to develop a cooperative approach to crisis management (including preparation for a possible bird-flu pandemic), collaborate on clean-energy programs and improve coordination on border security. But he also made clear that he wasn't going to rush into the ambitious agenda favored by some Canadian business leaders and academics toward establishing a common...
...Government insiders say Harper plans to concentrate on a few cross-border items--such as improving border infrastructure--and leave the bold continental policymaking to his hoped-for second term (as a majority leader). But Harper's soft approach could backfire. Bush's reduced popularity and an increasingly rebellious Congress raise doubts about whether the U.S. President is willing to spend his already diminished political capital on the issues that matter to Canada. Meanwhile in Ottawa, opposition M.P.s will pounce on any sign that Harper's much advertised tone change with Washington has failed to produce results...