The battle between the Harper government & the Ottawa Press Corp

Longtime Parliamentary Press Gallery member Mark Bourrie says Prime Minister Stephen Harper has used a defanged Ottawa press corps, among other things, to keep the Canadian public in the dark about the way his government rules. Bourrie lays out his case in his book, "Kill The Messengers: Stephen Harper's Assault on Your Right to Know."

The Q&A with the Prime Minister's wife Laureen Harper was billed as an exclusive last week for the YouTube show 24 SEVEN. But the show's access may seem a little less impressive once you learn that 24 SEVEN is actually produced by the Prime Minister's Office.

Mark Bourrie, for one, is not impressed with 24 SEVEN. In fact, he's not impressed with much about the way the Harper government has handled communicating with Canadians.

The journalist and historian takes on the Prime Minister and the Ottawa media in his new book, "Kill the Messengers: Stephen Harper's Assault on Your Right to Know." Mark Bourrie was in Ottawa.

Stephen Maher is National Political Columnist for PostMedia, and a director of the Ottawa Press Gallery. He was in Toronto.

We did contact the Prime Minister's Office to see if it wanted to comment on the issues raised in Mark Bourrie's book. We were told they would get back to us. We will let you know when they do.

So what do you think? Has Stephen Harper cowed the Ottawa media? Let us know.

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This segment was produced by The Current's Howard Goldenthal.​