CBC TV’s Peter Mansbridge scored a one-on-one with Prime Minister Stephen Harper this week, to discuss his five years at the helm of the federal government. It covered a lot of ground, but things really got interesting when Mansbridge asked how Harper might handle some hot button issues if he were to be re-elected with a majority government. Harper dealt quickly with gun laws (would scrap the long-gun registry but no other changes) and abortion (wouldn’t touch it), but was – as Mansbridge rightly noted – not quite as resolute with his answer on capital punishment. To be fair to the PM, he did clearly say that he didn’t think the country wants to go there, and stated that he had “no plans” to re-open the issue “in the next Parliament.” But he also noted that, personally, he thinks the death penalty might be appropriate under certain circumstances. That added bit of candour turned the comment into headlines. Normally, equivocation by politicians is a bad thing: it can often be interpreted as waffling or indecisiveness or, as the Liberals quickly suggested, possibly a sign of a hidden agenda. But that aside, I thought the remark was a very strategic communications play by Harper. He knows that the issue always generates attention, and that his sentiment will not only play well with his core (Conservative) support base, but also with a sizeable number of Canadians overall who agree with it under certain circumstances. Touchdown.
Bob Reid has been a journalist and media advisor to a former Ontario Premier. He is now Veritas' principal media coach.
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