The Placard Kids
By Chris Rands, CBC News
The prime minister held a photo opportunity this afternoon in his office in the Langevin Block.
It was to introduce the new lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, Graydon Nicholas. After a few words and two handshakes, the photo op was over.
As the photo crews walked back out on to Metcalfe Street, they were greeted, conveniently, by a handful of young folks carrying placards.
They were trying to draw attention to a speech Stephen Harper gave to party faithful last week in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. The speech was recorded by a student, who shared the video with the Liberals, who gave it to the CBC.
During the video, the prime minister tells the crowd that: "We need to win a majority in the next election campaign.
"If we do not win a majority, this country will have a Liberal government, propped up by the socialists and the separatists... If they get together and force us to the polls, we have to teach them a lesson and get back there with a majority and make sure their little coalition never happens."
And Harper told the crowd:
"Imagine how many left-wing ideologues they would be putting in the courts, federal institutions, agencies, the Senate."
The Placard Kids interpreted the prime minister's message this way:
"Mr. Angry's hidden agenda"
"Majority = mean"
"M. Harper, les Québécois ne sont pas tous des separatistes!"
"(Woman symbol) "We are not a fringe group"
This is the second time in recent memory that the Placard Kids have popped up around the Langevin Block.
NDP Leader Jack Layton was followed by the PKs a few weeks ago when he called on the prime minister.
Could this be the hand of Liberal War Room leader Warren Kinsella?
Makes you wonder... Election? Aren't we already in one?
About the Authors
- Rosemary Barton started her television career reporting from Quebec City where she covered the ins and outs of Quebec politics. She moved to the CBC Parliamentary Bureau in 2007. She also stood on the side of road awaiting U.S. President Barack Obama's motorcade for hours in the cold. When she finally spotted him, all of Canada heard her shriek, "I saw him!"
- Alison Crawford worked in Fredericton, Calgary and Winnipeg before returning to her hometown to work in the CBC parliamentary bureau. Her beats include the RCMP, justice, public safety and the Liberals. Alison credits her investigative skills as well as a national etiquette column and coverage of a ferret Christmas party, with having prepared her for covering national politics.
- Andrew Davidson is a producer for the CBC politics page in Toronto. He joined CBCNews.ca's national desk in 2006 and was the lead news writer for the website's 2008 federal election coverage.
- Chris Hall is the National Affairs Editor for CBC News. He's been a member of the CBC Parliamentary Bureau since 1998. That adds up to 11 budgets, four elections, three prime ministers and too many confidence votes to count. Chris started his career in print before moving to the CBC in 1992. Since then, he's worked in Toronto, Halifax and St. John's, as well as Ottawa.
- Leslie MacKinnon Leslie's been working in news and current affairs since newsrooms used teletype, televison was shot on film and radio tape was edited with a razor blade. She saw through The Journal's long run on CBC-TV, and since then has worked in Halifax, Toronto and Ottawa in the CBC's various permutations. Right now, she's a TV news reporter in the political bureau, and likes certain parts of Ottawa - the canal, the Hill - a lot.
- Janyce McGregor has been a television producer in the CBC's Parliamentary Bureau since 2001. She started her career working for Studio 2 on TVOntario. In 2005 her then-doctoral student husband persuaded her to follow him to the U.K., where she worked for BBC World Service Radio in London. Janyce is originally a farm girl from southwestern Ontario. Her most important job title is "Norah's Mom."
- Chris Rands has been a member of the Parliamentary bureau since 2001. He started at Toronto's AM Radio giant CFRB before moving to CBC's National Radio News in 1996. Chris has worked in Toronto, Moncton, Sudbury, Regina, Washington and St John's. Every time Chris walks up to the Peace Tower, he wants to throw his hat in the air like Mary Tyler Moore.
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