This Message is Not For You.

There is something deeply disturbing about the tactics of the Harper campaign in the last few days; the banning of certain members of the public from campaign rallies. Find more of the story here.

In the last week, an advocate for homeless veterans, two students who had participated in a non-partisan pro-vote rally the same day, a University of Guelph student who had a picture of Ignatieff on her Facebook page, and a man with a bumper sticker that read, 'Don't blame me, I voted NDP', were all kept out of Harper's rallies - and by the RCMP, no less.

So we have the misuse of a public police force to throw into the serious issue of barring people from hearing your campaign messages. And we obviously have people screening registered attendees via social media sites - and we have people wandering the parking lot looking for unsavouries.

Well, don't worry, you're sending one message out loud and clear, one that doesn't require pre-approval to hear it - exclusion is the name of your game. Sorry, Harper, but that just doesn't cut it in a democracy; you can't ban people for having a different or contrary viewpoint. It's a disgusting tactic that speaks volumes to your leadership style, paranoia, and iron-fisted control policy. Hopefully this will spark the youth vote - against you. And if you're so worried about an individual due to his bumper stickers, or who's on their Farcebook page, how should I trust you with running a nation?

Keeping on the subject of keeping people out, Harper has also effectively banned any real media scrutiny of his campaign - by keeping reporters behind the crowd and behind fences - yes, fences! - and by limiting questions to just five per stop. You won't see Steve in a coffee shop surrounded by average Canadians. You won't see him sit down in a restaurant to engage the public. This man acts like he's ready to dive into a hole in the ground at the slightest provocation; how can anyone support a man like that?

This assault on the media - and all Canadian citizens by proxy - begs one response; quit showing up to his stops. We here at the IO know that's never going to happen, but wouldn't it be great if the TV channels, newspapers - anyone with a pen and a meaning to forward what's said and done - just stopped attending? Oh, the glory!

The IO may not be your traditional news outlet; we're well aware around the office that what we do is punditry and opinion, so it's not a slight against us - if anything, it's feeding us ink to feed the presses, (or rage to tap the fingers, as it were). But to limit the news media to five questions - four for national press and one for a local scribe - is akin to keeping the Canadian public out of the picture - and this goes beyond bumper sticker politics. That's what reporters are, Mr. Harper - they are the eyes, ears, and voice of a nation; no country is truly free without a truly free press - when you limit press freedoms - especially during an election campaign - what you're showing is, (once again!) true democracy is not on your priority list - except perhaps as something to marginalize and avoid meaningful contact with. Your tactics of control are a disservice to the nation you so badly want to rule by majority - you know, the way you've already been pretending...

And so we see a true American-style 'front-runner' campaign from Stephen Harper; smear opponents, say nothing else, do nothing else - just coast through and hope that those with something to lose manage to do so. Perhaps Harper's best friend in this whole campaign is simply the stunning apathy of the Canadian voter; he doesn't think you care, and for that very reason, you'll only get the official message. Reporters be damned - and the same goes for anyone with an offending bumper sticker, different values, different politicians on their Facebook, anyone who isn't a stalwart supporter of the party, or who is a stalwart supporter of free speech and democracy - none of you are invited into the Harper tent - this message is not for you.