Colin Mayes

Jail the Journos

Last week, Conservative Party backbencher Colin Mayes sent a column out to some newspapers in his B.C. riding of Okanagan-Shuswap. The former mayor of Dawson City, Yukon and Salmon Arm, B.C. wrote about the Federal Accountability Act that will hold politicians and bureaucrats accountable for breaches of the public trust. Mayes added, "Boy would the public get accurate and true information if a few reporters were hauled away to jail!"

Now Mayes might actually have something there. Canada, and in fact the world, might just be a better place if we jailed some journalists, shot all the lawyers and built concentration camps and filled them up with Toronto City Councillors and social workers. But none of these things are going to happen and just sitting around dreaming about it is hardly productive. All Mayes accomplished was to get his name prominently displayed in the media that he seems to despise so much. Aint life funny?

Amazingly, or perhaps not, Mayes doesnt give any examples of which journalists he thinks should be sent to the slammer or what specific "crimes" he thinks that they have committed. Without any specifics, his "column" is nothing more than a whining rant about the big, bad media and how awful they are towards the Conservative government.

Shortly after his remarks became public, Mayes issued a full retraction, complete with the expected blather about how much he respects freedom of the press. One thing that is certain Colin Mayes is not the Conservative Partys answer to Carolyn Parrish at least she was consistent. It must be remembered that Mayes original comments were made in a column that he submitted for publication; these were not some off the cuff remarks that were made in a bar after a few too many. First he meant it; now he doesnt. Thats real accountability for you.

Mayes was apparently inspired to write his column after an editorial appeared in the Vernon Daily Courier that accused Stephen Harper of "mimicking the ploys of an authoritarian state." This editorial was written after the Harper government took steps to restrict the medias access to ministers at the conclusion of cabinet meetings.

In response to the editorial, Mayes wrote, "The media has blatantly painted a picture that our government is not open and transparent. We were elected just two months ago to run the affairs of the country for the people, not to accommodate the media".

The gist of Mayes article is similar to a statement made by the Conservatives Communications Director, Sandra Buckler. In response to the way Harper is handling the media, Buckler said, "I dont think the average Canadian cares as long as they know their government is being well run." At least Buckler managed to convey the true position of the Tories without the silliness of hinting that the Toronto Star editorial board be jailed with no chance of parole.

The question that Bucklers statement raises is how are Canadians to know that their government is well run? Can they call the Prime Minister and say, "Hey Steve; this is Mike from Canmore. When can I expect my first $100 cheque for my 5-year-old daughter?" Of course not. Canadians can only know if the government is well run if someone tells them; and unfortunately for those in the Conservative Party, that "someone" is the media.

The statements by both Mayes and Buckler illustrate exactly how the Conservative government views the media. They look at them as merely an entity unto themselves and give no thought to their function, which is to tell Canadians what their government is doing. The Conservatives believe that if they do a good job, then that is good enough; they dont have to bother telling the unwashed masses what is going on. This view of Canadians became apparent when Harper appointed instant Tory David Emerson to his cabinet. Emersons appointment was for the good of the country; the hell with the voters who marked an "x" beside David Emerson, Liberal Party of Canada. Now, Canadians dont have to know what were doing because we dont want to talk to the media.

Throw all the journalists in jail and make the jobs of politicians easier. If only life were that simple.

Arthur Weinreb is an author, columnist and Associate Editor of Toronto Free Press. His work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Men's News Daily, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck and The Rant. Arthur can be reached at: Columns 2006 '05 '04 '03 '02 '01 '00 1999 Media 2006 '05 '04 '03 '02 Toronto 2006 '05 '04