In what has to be one of the biggest single-day public relations offensives yet for a government, the federal Conservatives have dispatched more than half its caucus to various locations around the country to hold press events associated with the government's Economic Action Plan. The PMO says there are 80 press events scheduled around the country and there may well be. I only count about 70 media advisories in my e-mail inbox this evening, a handful of which are from MPs who are not Conservatives.
Meanwhile, the Liberals and NDP each hold a press conference in the National Press Theatre in Ottawa where they will try to keep the Bev Oda affair going. No word if the Bloc Quebecois have any events Thursday.
I must say: I do think it odd that for all the PR push of these 70-80 events, neither Prime Minister Stephen Harper nor Finance Minister Jim Flaherty — the two politicians most closely associated with the framing of the recession-fighting Economic Action Plan — have any public events scheduled Thursday. Instead, we have this list. (I have organized this by region and have converted ALL TIMES TO OTTAWA TIME as that's where I work)
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
08:30 SEN Elizabeth Marshall funding announcement St. John's NF
MARITIMES
11:00 MP Rodney Weston “important infrastructure tour “ Saint John NB
12:00 MIN VIC TOEWS – Crime prevention announcement Saint John NB
11:00 MIN ROB MOORE – Photo opp / funding announcement Sussex NB
10:00 MP Greg Kerr – Funding announcement Digby NS
13:30 MP Greg Kerr infrastructure event Yarmouth NS
14:00 MIN PETER MacKAY – Funding announcement New Glasgow NS
QUEBEC AND ONTARIO
08:30 MIN GARY GOODYEAR – Funding announcement Toronto ON
09:00 MP Bruce Stanton – Mariposa Folk Festival Orillia ON
09:00 MP Phil McColeman EAP Brantford ON
09:30 MP Lois Brown infrastructure announcement Newmarket ON
09:30 MP Pat Davidson infrastructure announcement Point Edward ON
10:00 MIN LISA RAITT infrastructure announcement Milton ON
10:00 MP Guy Lauzon infrastructure Cornwall ON
10:00 MP Paul Calandra infrastructure announcement Schomberg ON
11:00 MP Bob Rae – Bev Oda scandal presser NPT ON
11:00 MP Dave MacKenzie infrastructure Oxford ON
11:30 MIN ROB NICHOLSON Fort George tour Niagara-on-the-Lake ON
11:30 MP Paul Dewar – Bev Oda presser NPT ON
11:30 MP Stephen Woodworth “important economic update event” Waterloo ON
12:30 MIN GARY GOODYEAR AND MP Bob Dechert – Touring instructional centre Mississauga ON
13:00 LPC MICHAEL IGNATIEFF – Working families tour Toronto ON
13:00 MIN ROB NICHOLSON College tour Welland ON
13:00 MP Dave Van Kesteren “important infrastructure even” Chatham ON
13:00 MP Mike Wallace – CIDA announcement Burlington ON
13:30 MP Rick Norlock infrastructure event Cobourg ON
14:00 MIN JASON KENNEY and MP Pierre Poilievre infrastructure announcement Ottawa ON
14:00 MP Peter Braid tours infrastructure development Waterloo ON
14:30 MP Bruce Stanton and Patrick Brown Oro Station ON
15:00 MP Greg Rickford Infrastructure event Thunder Bay ON
09:30 MP Jacques Gourde – Infrastructure announcement Lotbiniere QC
10:00 MIN DENIS LEBEL will announce funding to Saint-Anthony's Hermitage Lac-Bouchette QC
10:00 MIN JOSEE VERNER – Infrastructure announcement Quebec City QC
10:30 MP Sylvie Boucher – skills funding announcement Quebec City QC
11:20 MIN JEAN-PIERRE BLACKBURN – Monument restoration Sherbrooke QC
15:00 MIN JEAN-PIERRE BLACKBURN – Speech to COOP federee Montreal QC
16:30 SEN Larry Smith infrastructure announcement Pointe-Claire QC
MANITOBA and SASKATCHEWAN
10:00 MIN GERRY RITZ – Funding for pig producers Winnipeg MB
11:30 MP Joy Smith “an update on the Gateway Recreation Centre projec” Winnipeg MB
12:30 MP James Bezan infrastructure announcement Stonewall MB
12:30 MP Shelly Glover infrastructure Winnipeg MB
11:00 MP Ray Boughen infrastructure Moose Jaw SK
12:00 MIN TONY CLEMENT – speech digital economy Saskatoon SK
12:00 MP Garry Breitkreuz infrastructure Melville SK
14:30 MIN GERRY RITZ and MP Kelly Block tour infrastructure project Saskatoon SK
16:00 MP Ed Komarnicki infrastructure event Moosomin SK
ALBERTA
10:00 MIN DIANE ABLONCZY infrastructure event Calgary AB
10:30 MP Chris Warkentin”important infrastructure event” Grande Prairie AB
11:30 MP Blake Richards “important infrastructure event” Canmore AB
12:00 MP Blaine Calkins infrastructure event Wetaskiwin AB
12:30 MP Lavar Payne tours infrastructure project Medicine Hat AB
13:00 MP Laurie Hawn – Identification of WWI soldier remains Edmonton AB
13:00 MP Peter Goldring tours construction site Edmonton AB
13:30 MP Tim Uppal – Heritage announcement Edmonton AB
14:00 MIN ROB MERRIFIELD ” important infrastructure event “ Whitecourt AB
15:30 MP Blaine Calkins event Wetaskiwin AB
17:30 MIN ROB MERRIFIELD infrastructure Mayerthorpe AB
20:00 MIN ROB MERRIFIELD “important infrastructure event” Onoway AB
BRITISH COLUMBIA and YUKON
12:00 MP John Weston Infrastructure announcement West Vancouver BC
13:00 MIN GARY LUNN and MIN LYNNE YELICH clean energy announcement Vancouver BC
13:00 MP Ed Fast Infrastructure Abbotsford BC
13:30 SEN Yonah Martin infrastructure event Vancouver BC
14:00 MIN CHUCK STRAHL – Infrastructure announcement Chilliwack BC
14:00 MIN JAMES MOORE holds Economic Action Plan Event Vancouver BC
14:00 MP Jim Abbott infrastructure announcement Cranbrook BC
17:00 MIN LYNNE YELICH – funding for film industry North Vancouver BC
17:00 MP Mark Warawa “important infrastructure event” Langley BC
18:00 MIN JOHN DUNCAN infrastructure Esquimalt BC
18:00 MIN LYNNE YELICH tours RiNC projects North Vancouver BC
14:00 SEN Daniel Lang infrastructure event Whitehorse YT
The press shouldn't enable them, anymore: just stay home. Or cover the unmet needs in their constituencies for the rest of the week.
Isn't this using taxpayers' money to say to Canadians “Look how Harper's government is working for you”. I say “Harper's government” because if they really thought the public needed this very expensive touting of ?, they would invite members of all parties to be represented according to seats.
The Conservative party funds should pay for this type of thing, and every media person and media organization in Canada should point out the extremely partisan use of taxpayer money every single time it happens. In my mind, the Conservatives are using theft of taxpayer funds to campaign all the time. They want to spend billions of taxpayer funds on their crime agenda [I assume they have contacts with those who will build and run the jails which will be increasingly lucrative for a few people] but what they like even better is criminally robbing taxpayers.
I agree with anonymous above. The Economic Action Plan TV ads are clearly Conservative (actually Harper) election ads. They are on all the time on all the channels. Can our new Integrity Commissioner (IC) look into this one? And who's willing to bet that before the previous IC can testify, the House will be prorogued pending an election.
wew
Lots of whining on this blog today. It shows the desperation of the partisans. The Libs are losing the battle when it comes to the economy and they are trying their best along with their friends in the media to minimize the impact of Harper's positive management of the economy. Too late fellows you have lost the economic battle.
hollinm said “Lots of whining on this blog today.”
Lots? When I looked there were just 3 comments before yours. That's lots? Is yours just a cut & paste comment that goes on any blog with comments like these.
The previous comments made what I think is a valid observation, i.e. if the purpose of the events is primarily to promote the Conservative government, it should be paid for by the Conservative Party, not Canadian Taxpayers.
Shame on you David Akin, you bought into the same bias our infamous CBC and CTV media do on a daily basis! Should your caption not have read ” Massive # of Canadian Economic Action Plan Projects completed. I drive by a couple of these projects everyday, they kept some of my friends and their families alive, that's the good news. You dissappoint me.
“I agree with anonymous above.”
How do readers know that you're not actually agreeing with yourself, Anonymous?
“The Economic Action Plan TV ads are clearly Conservative (actually Harper) election ads.”
If you're seeing 'the evil Harper' popping up in those ads, it may be time to consult a medical practitioner.
Even though Harper never put on these public events, he still managed to win a majority… interesting. Great post :).