The following is a transcript of a pre-recorded interview with the Prime Minister that will air on CBC this evening. (check against delivery)
Interviewer: How’s my make-up? Any glare from the lighting? Is the camera rolling? Prime Minister, thank you for agreeing to sit down with us for this interview.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper: It’s always a pleasure to be with you and your viewers.
Interviewer: Your staff tell me that we’ve only got a few minutes so I’ll get straight to the point.
What’s your reaction to the “hordes of protesters” we saw in the streets today — not far from where we are right now, as it happens — demanding that MPs get back to work?
PM: It’s always good to see Canadians actively engaged in politics, and I would hope that this level of engagement —particularly among young Canadians — will continue and be enhanced in the future, which — regrettably — appears not to be the case in the United States.
Interviewer: Prime Minister, I think we can all agree on that.
But what do you say to the men and women of all ages demanding that MPs get back to work? Let me read you what a ten-year veteran of Parliament Hill who now co-owns a progressive media agency had to say about a demonstration that took place not far from where you and your family live:
“I’ve had a front-row seat to all kinds of mass gatherings and rarely do you see one this co-ordinated, this large and this unified. It takes a lot to make Canadians take to the streets in numbers worth noting.”
PM: Well, I could cite other, more objective reports — including incredibly enough that of CBC, CBC French that is — that only 300 people turned out in Montréal and 100 in Halifax, but I’m not going to get into a numbers game with you. In a democracy, it’s unacceptable in my view to disparage in any way even one citizen exercising his or her fundamental freedoms and democratic rights.
As to getting back to work, I can only say to hard-working Canadians that most of our government have worked overtime along with our dedicated public servants during the Christmas holiday — one of several long breaks that MPs voted themselves years ago because of the particular nature of their jobs.
Interviewer: Prime Minister, as you can see from the top of my head, I’ve been around federal politics for many years like Mr. Capstick — whom I know but whose politics, I assure you, I do not share — and understand all that. In fact, though I can’t be certain, I believe that we’ve even reported on MPs long holidays once or twice in the twenty years that I sat in the chair that I no longer sit in. But you know as well as I that the protesters are angry about your decision to prorogue Parliament, agreed to by the Governor-General, and are demanding that you get back to work tomorrow.
PM: Well, let me say off the bat that the Governor-General had no choice in our system but to accept my advice and I take full responsibility for the decision to prorogue. Moreover, Her Excellency is due the respect of all Canadians — and not only because of her office. In fact, as I travel across the country, I’ve found a profound affection and admiration for the Governor-General, most recently during the Haitian earthquake tragedy, and I can tell you and your viewers this evening — even though as you know I could have made this announcement on a much higher-rated newscast — that I intend to advise Her Majesty that Ms. Jean’s term be extended for another five years.
