The Canadian government has hired two former White House press secretaries in a bid to boost Canada's coverage in the U.S. media.
Michael McCurry, a former spokesperson for Bill Clinton, and Ari Fleischer, a spokesperson under George W. Bush, now have the job of getting Prime Minister Stephen Harper interviews with the major U.S. media organization to promote Canada's economy and its close ties to the United States.
Kory Teneycke, Harper's spokesperson, said the hirings were made to promote and frame Canada's image to an audience in the U.S. that is often unfamiliar with its northern neighbour.
"This isn't just a matter of booking media interviews, this is about helping to sell Canada's story," he told CTV's Power Play. "Often in Canada there's a mistaken belief that proximity equals awareness . . . in a number of key areas there's very little awareness of key facts about Canada . . . like the fact that we did not have to bail out our banking sector . . . or that we are their largest energy supplier."
Promoting Canada's agenda in a foreign country usually falls to diplomats and embassies, but Teneycke said it was "unrealistic" to expect Foreign Affairs officials to have the same pull as the men they hired.
"We have one of the best embassies in the world in Washington . . . however, some of the skills we are talking about are extremely specialized," he said. "It would be unrealistic to expect Foreign Affair officials . . . are going to have the same level of media contact and information about how to frame Canada's story to a U.S. audience as two of the top former White House press secretaries would have.
"Canada deserves nothing but the best."
Teneycke admitted that the hirings were made at a time when the U.S. media spotlight on Canada would be rosy, considering the contrasting economic situations between the two countries.
"You need every possible edge you have, in terms of getting your country's agenda on the forefront," he said of the U.S media coverage.
Teneycke refused to say how much the pair were being paid for their jobs or for how long, but said the salary numbers would be disclosed in due time.
Bob Reid, a media-relations expert with Veritas Communications and a former press secretary himself, under Ontario premier Mike Harris, said that the hirings were probably worth it for the tax payer.
"I think it's money well spent, it's public relations in action," he told Â鶹´«Ã½net. "All you have to do is look at history, we have consistently had a problem being front in mind for Americans."
He pointed out Canada's diminished influence in Washington during George W. Bush's time in office, as Britain and Mexico improved their relations with the U.S.
"We've never really been at that A-list (in Washington) before," Reid said.
He said with Barack Obama's new administration and new world economic order seemingly in the works the timing of the hirings makes sense.
"It's absolutely critical . . . that Canada has the highest possible profile," Reid said.
