A Special Committee has been struck to study new membership rules and report back in early June
By Stephen Pate – The normally sleepy Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery got heated up in February 2015 when new disciplinary rules were recommended a few weeks ahead of the annual meeting.
The Press Gallery quickly went from reporting the news to being the news when the changes proposed by the gallery executive committee’s president, Laura Payton were cast as draconian on Twitter and other social media sites.
“Wow. This Press Gallery thing getting nasty” tweeted Noted author and politico Warren Kinsella. @kinsellawarren
“Very concerned that the Press Gallery executive wants to judge public and colleague complaints against its members. Not its role,” Tweeted Mark Bourrie @IsotelusRex
“Changes to Press Gallery rules provoke Twitter backlash” headlined the story in iPolitics
Journalists did not expect their own body to in effect become an official censor for the government or the press gallery executive. Freedom of expression is a Charter right in Canada; however, the relationship between the press and the government can be prickly. Losing one’s press credentials could have a serious impact on the employment of a journalist.
Should the press gallery expel a member who may have offended the government? Would the threat of expulsion create a climate of fear and self-censorship.
However, the changes to how members of the Press Gallery can be removed were not passed at the annual meeting in late February.
“Nothing has been done,” said Terry Guillon, M.V.O., Chief of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery, House of Commons in a phone interview today.
“The annual meeting was held but there was nothing in the work. A separate committee was formed that will study the changes to the regulations over the next 3 months.”
“The committee will make its recommendations to the executive in the early part of June at which point a special meeting of the membership will be held to vote on the recommendations.”
“All members will receive a draft of the new regulations prior to the special meeting,” said Mr. Guillon.
Under the proposed new rules the Press Gallery executive would have almost unlimited power to remove a member from the Press Gallery based on allegations of impropriety. Many people thought the new rules ignored fairness, due process and the rule of law.
Kevin Vickers, sergeant at arms
Membership in the press gallery is limited to members of the media who report full time on the Canadian Parliament. The Press Gallery Executive recommends membership or removal to the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Normally the Sergeant at Arms is a ceremonial position. He carries the mace that gives access to Parliament by knocking on the doors. Canadians recently learned that the sergeant at arms also has a real role in security when the current office holder Kevin Vickers shot and killed an intruder who had just killed a Canadian soldier and was intent on shooting a rifle in the House of Commons.
The Press Gallery regulation is of course less violent and generally concerns itself with limited space, credentials and keeping the decorum and peace inside the Parliament buildings.
An episode of verbal and physical violence in 2014 between two members of the press gallery led the executive to seek extraordinary powers to summarily dismiss any member who stepped over some imaginary line.
It was this change in the rules that members objected to and which the committee will seek to address.
Featured image — copyright Moncton Photographer Flickr
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