OTTAWA - Two Conservative staffers were ordered to leave an area outside the House of Commons after repeatedly entering news scrums with journalists in order to tape their political opponents.
A Commons security guard forced the Conservative research employees to leave Thursday while one mingled with reporters to record a scrum with Liberal Leader Stephane Dion.
The young female staff members have followed prominent Liberals around for weeks and were assumed by Dion's entourage to be journalists, while reporters figured they worked for Dion.
At the Liberals' request, press gallery officials contacted security and the two junior staffers were led away from the area Thursday.
While political operatives often eavesdrop on news scrums, the head of the press gallery said it's unprecedented and improper for them to gather political ammunition there.
"(Politicians) who talk to us should know that what they're saying will be used by media people," said Richard Brennan, gallery president and a reporter for the Toronto Star.
"They should know that it is not going to be used against them in an attack ad."
The Conservatives say there are no rules against the practice and that they have no plans to stop, while also noting that their employees never actually posed as journalists or asked questions.
But Brennan said that if those staffers want tape from news conferences, they can simply obtain it from the press gallery like other parties do.
The Tories have already run TV attack ads against Dion that uses video footage of him speaking. They say they will continue audio-taping opponents outside the Commons.
"It's a public place," said Tory spokesman Ryan Sparrow.
"As long as our researchers don't ask questions, it's a completely legitimate process."
He said Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office has spoken with the Commons sergeant-at-arms and has been told that no rule prevents the Tories from entering news scrums.
"Stephane Dion is a weak leader who constantly flip-flops," Sparrow said. "Obviously they don't want their weak leader's comments on the record."
Sparrow pointed out that the staffers who were escorted away always wore passes identifying them as Conservative employees.
And he accused the Liberals of practicing selective outrage. He noted that a Liberal research staffer recently heckled Harper outside the Commons.
