Rex Murphy, the oilsands and the cone of silence

CBC News is a secret service.

I used to be the Globe and Mail’s national security reporter and I wrote a book about Canada’s spy agency, CSIS. So I know something about secret services and how they treat pesky reporters who ask prickly questions about how they operate.

I had more success prying out information about CSIS’s dubious conduct than I have had recently delving into the questionable practices of CBC News and one of its high-profile and (usually) loquacious personalities, who has, in the face of some uncomfortable queries, suddenly and uncharacteristically taken refuge in the cone of silence.

Rex Murphy's Oil Sands Speeches Prompt CBC Ethics Review

CBC is looking at requiring freelancers to disclose their speaking fees amid questions about Rex Murphy's speeches on the oilsands, The Vancouver Observer reports.

Murphy, who hosts CBC's "Cross-Country Checkup" and sometimes appears as a commentator on "The National", is at the centre of controversy after iPolitics columnist Andrew Mitrovica began researching the pundit's speaking gigs.

"I found that Murphy has made several speeches to oil-friendly audiences who lap up his cheerleading about the industry and his wisecracks about Neil Young, environmentalists and do-nothing Easterners, including his CBC colleagues."