OTTAWA — An internal memo to the prime minister suggests the Harper government is rejecting claims that the CBC is boycotting Quebecor's newspapers.

The CBC has been locked in a nasty two-year dispute with Quebecor, owner of Sun News television, the Sun newspaper chain and French-language newspapers.

Quebecor says CBC refuses to advertise in its newspapers because of a vindictive policy against the corporate giant -- and has complained directly to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

But a memo to Harper obtained by The Canadian Press shows that the government has rejected Quebecor's claim, and praises CBC's advertising policies.

A spokesman for Quebecor says he's surprised by the memo, and says the prime minister's office may not have had all the pertinent information.

Harper's spokesman says the prime minister has not taken sides, and wants CBC to be transparent and impartial when it spends public money.