News.gc.ca, which disseminates not actual news but public relations content, is a slickly-designed one-stop media shop tailored for an easy user experience that will one day funnel the missives of over a 100 different federal departments, agencies and offices.
The effort at consolidating Ottawa’s image and public relations through the site is so expansive that some willing departments have stopped publishing news releases, media notices and background documents on their own websites.
Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada made the switch in March. Anyone looking for Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq’s reaction to U.S. coal emissions regulations announced in June or her work at the United Nations’ Climate Summit in September will have to go to News.gc.ca for insight.
But not every federal body in the government’s sights is so willing.
News.gc.ca’s advanced search function reveals the groundwork has been laid to publish news releases from the Supreme Court of Canada, the RCMP, the National Energy Board and almost all of the watchdog-mandated officers of Parliament.
The RCMP, the National Energy Board, the office of the Privacy Commissioner and the office of the Commissioner of Official Languages see no problem with participating, though in their cases they will continue to publish news originally on their sites.
“There’s no issue with having the material simultaneously on our site and their site,” said Nelson Kalil, a spokesperson for the office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. “We’re not trying to be strangers to them necessarily. But the key for us is that we maintain our own independent website.”
The Supreme Court of Canada, which in the eyes of many had its independence questioned by the Prime Minister’s Office during a sparring contest over the failed appointment of Judge Marc Nadon in the spring, isn’t coming on board so easily.
“The Supreme Court of Canada is independent of, and must be seen to be independent of, the other branches of government,” wrote spokesperson Owen Rees in an email. “It will therefore continue to publish its own news releases rather than use the www.news.gc.ca website.”
Aside from its basic independence from government, the court’s participation is complicated by the fact that its communications include the court’s decisions — documents that require a high degree of public availability.
Several officers of Parliament have joined the Supreme Court of Canada in declining to participate in news.gc.ca.
“Elections Canada will not be contributing its news releases to that website,” said spokesperson John Enright. “If a request were to come or if a request did come, the answer is no.”
The office of the Information Commissioner won’t be using the website either, said spokesperson Natalie Hall.
In an email, the office of the Lobbying Commissioner said it was “exempt” from the news.gc.ca.
As for major federal departments, none appear to have joined Environment Canada and Natural Resources in ending the publication of news releases on their websites despite the nine months that have elapsed since those two departments joined.
All departments are slated to join news.gc.ca but the process is taking time, wrote Treasury Board Secretariat spokesperson Stephanie Rea in an email.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics.ca/
Author: James Munson
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