PMO says ministers keeping mum part of co-ordinated plan

It appears the new Conservative government has pulled the funding on the Canadian Unity Council, amounting to about $13 million per year.

The council was created in 1964 and is a private, non-profit organization that supports unity initiatives. The Liberals say the move by the Conservatives is another attempt to appease sovereigntists in Quebec.

Early attempts to get a comment from the Prime Minister's Office were refused. But late on Friday Transportation Minister Lawrence Cannon said the hesitancy to comment was part of a move by the government to "get in touch with what's happening in our departments, to understand our files correctly."

But others are questioning whether this is further evidence that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is muzzling his cabinet.

According to the Globe and Mail, an internal government e-mail states the "PMO will approve all ministerial events" to maintain focus on priorities such the GST and child care.

The PMO wouldn't confirm the existence of the e-mail, but said there is a need to "co-ordinate its message so the right hand knows what the left hand is doing."

The PMO is also trying to restrict reporters' access to the area where cabinet meets and ministers don't have a backdoor escape.

"The cabinet ministers can scrum downstairs," said Harper's press secretary Carolyn Stewart-Olsen. "The prime minister can scrum downstairs after cabinet."

The media is officially resisting what many say is an attempt by the government to "control" them and hamper their ability to work.

Even so, some reporters are willing to cut the government some slack.

"It's been out of power for 13 years [and] just about everybody in that cabinet is a rookie, up to and including the prime minister himself," said Bill Rogers, Ottawa bureau chief for Sun Media.

Others say the real test of the new policy will be next month, when the House of Commons resumes and the ministers face their opponents during question period.