The reviews are in

I wouldn't have even thought to comment on Stephen Harper's usual media avoidance during his Yorkton photo-op - which may say something about how radically he's managed to distort any expectations about public accountability for Canada's government. But the Leader-Post editorial board nicely ties yesterday's stop into Harper's general refusal to step outside his bubble of cult Conservatives:

(I)t's not just reporters Harper seems to loathe. It's anyone who appears to question him.

Remember when former Prince Albert Tory MP Brian Fitzpatrick suggested in 2006 that there might be a political price to pay if Harper didn't honour his election promise to exclude Saskatchewan's non-renewable resources from equalization? On Harper's next visit to Regina, Fitzpatrick was literally left outside the tent at a party gathering and early in 2007 he announced he was not running again.

In Parliament, when Harper tires of opposition parties asking awkward questions and demanding accountability, he shuts the place down by proroguing.

There are those who think Harper is just doing his job as he sees fit and has no obligation to talk to the media. These are the same supporters who wonder why Harper often gets poor press.

Being prime minister entails communicating with Canadians -- and not just via photo ops and sterile news releases. Yorkton was yet another lost opportunity.