Harper's communications director to step down

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Tue. Jul. 28 2009 12:02 PM ET

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's director of communications, Kory Teneycke, has confirmed that he is planning to step down from his post, just as speculation ratchets up about a possible fall election.

It is not clear exactly when Teneycke will vacate his post, but it will be "very soon," according to CTV News Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.

Teneycke's departure means the prime minister will have to find someone new to control and shape his messaging as he prepares his strategy, should the opposition parties force an election this fall.

"(Teneycke) has only been with the prime minister's office for just over a year, but he's a very, very shrewd, savvy political operator and very good at dealing with the media," Fife told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.

Fife said Teneycke has a young family and so would like to find a job that is less demanding on his time.

"The hours working for the prime minister are very long and it's basically 24/7," Fife said.

Teneycke took over from Sandra Buckler, who often clashed with parliamentary reporters.

He had previously worked as executive director of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, lobbying for ethanol and biodiesel, a post he left to work in the Conservative research bureau.

The Tories are on the second of two days of election training at an Ottawa hotel, which will be followed by a caucus meeting on Wednesday.

Add New Comment ( )

Denise
said
0 0

@Jay-TO

Roly poly? Really?!? THAT'S the best you can come up with??? I can't believe the vitriol the gets spewed by some of the people who write into these comment boards. I mean, come on, we're supposed to be intelligent people here, and the best you can come up with is childish petty name-calling? Good Lord, I weep for the future!

Oh, and FYI, the priest who presided over the funeral actually came out and SAID that the PM ate the wafer, are you accusing him of lying too?

Dave
said
0 0

Time to attack Harper again right Eastern Canada! Lets get the Liberals back in so we can have more Adscam programs, ensure the senate remains stacked with Liberals and legalize marjuana. So the director of communications stepped down, its not the end of the world.

Jay, Ottawa
said
0 0

This must be an exhausting job. Best of luck to him in the future.

Mike from Canmore
said
0 0

Good! One less Tory.

When is Harper going?

jay
said
0 0

re Molly,

You hit it right out of the park. I would snap on some media person after a while of the stupid non story questions about wafer, unbutton, button. Best to him! Go Harper Go to a majority!

john (Winnipeg)
said
0 0

Nice to see.
Nice to see that some of our population has some values.
If we want our children to be raised by the state than we should go to Russia or any communist country.

Dave in Ottawa
said
0 0

Again, it's the wrong one leaving.

Jay-TO
said
0 0

Hey Peter,
The video doesn't lie. Maybe under threat they changed their story but the video itself speaks volumes. Wafer did not go into roly poly's mouth. I don't care myself being atheist but I despise lies and so should you. This was never about a stupid piece of bread, it was about the inability of a so called leader to be honest. He failed that as badly as he did winning over Quebec! Besides he wasn't even supposed to take the bread unless he's catholic and the last I remember he was a member of some strange christo-fascist church out west.

Carter
said
0 0

Give the Conservatives the Majority they deserve. They have run a clean government , not like the sponship mess of the Liberals. It is amazing Mr. Harper is accused of attack ads. Does anyone remember how the Liberals attacked the Consevatives for a supposed hidden agenda to cause fear in people. The Liberals are not to be trusted.

Adam in Ottawa
said
0 0

I can't say I blame him. I wouldn't be able to stand in front of a microphone or tv camera and spout Harpers load of garbage either, at least not with a straight face! Best of luck on your future endeavors Kory!

Molly
said
0 0

Gee, maybe Kory got tired of having to defend PM Harper 24/7 against media alerts that drag on for days about all Harper's devastating infractions like :
Harper has a paunch and should lose weight say experts.
Harper put a wafer in his pocket at church.
Harper was seconds late for a photo shoot.
Harper forgot to button his jacket.

Maybe Kory got sick of responding to all the media pettiness and scandal mongering 24/7. Maybe the media wore him out.

When the media is wrong, they sure don't go public and apologize very often. They just leave it to the Kory's on Parliament Hill to deal with what they threw out there.

5th Generation Canadian
said
0 0

Walter -- I simply cannot stop myself from asking if your comment was tongue in cheek? $100 a month will allow a woman to stay home with her child?????

Richard L. Provencher
said
0 0

Kory T. has served his party well. It is a known fact, all staffers work very hard for their MP's too. In fact, it then becomes a stepping stone for further opportunities. So, to those pundits, let's give Kory a pat on the back for a job well done. Re an election, it will be Iggy who forces one, since he has been beating the drums ever since he took over from Dion, who did exactly the same thing the first week he took over the party leadership. That makes almost three years the Liberals have put us into election mode. Next election: let's give the Conservatives a majority. They have done a great job during this global recession.

Henry
said
0 0

The prime minister's director did a good job. Spending time with the family is important. The director of communications did not have an easy job, it was hard.

Now regarding the politicians, this is what I say:

the Government is weak

and,

the Government is scared of people

James
said
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Trust the Liberal supporters to comment negatively about a guy who wants to spend more time with his family instead of a 24/7 job....shame on you clowns!

Brian the Cynic
said
0 0

Stephen Harper is supposed to be such a "family values" man. You'd think he'd be more accommodating to his aides and their desires to have more quality time with their families.

Lotsofeyes
said
0 0

Funny how Communications is a revolving door with this Prime Minister.

Mulroney, who became Canada's most unpopular Prime Minister in history, had a revolving door in that department, too...

I guess it's what happens when a PM doesn't realize that no amount of "communications" can make up for boneheaded policies, incompetent ministers and an embarrassing backbench.

peter
said
0 0

It�s easy to criticize someone when you don�t know all any facts and you are not held accountable for your comments. The man stepped down and gave his reasons, why can�t you people accept that.

I�m really getting sick and tired of the liberal spin doctors trying to make a molehill into a mountain.

You should read this story before you go making up stores of your own.

SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- A daily newspaper in New Brunswick has apologized to Prime Minister Harper for reporting that he slipped a communion wafer in his jacket pocket at a state funeral.
The front-page apology published in today's Telegraph-Journal says the story on July 8 was "inaccurate and should not have been published."

Dave in Qc.
said
0 0

Most people know to get off a sinking ship before it hits the waterline.harper should invest his money in lifejackets and lifeboats.

Melanie, Kingston, Ontario
said
0 0

I went to school with Kory in small town Saskatchewan and his main priority was always his family. I applaude him on this very big decision and wish him well, and I think the rest of the country should do the same. Life is not always about politics.

zed5000
said
0 0

"Spending time with his Family"...at least he wasn't "Pursuing other interests" lol

Seems like Harper changes his communications directors more often than his socks.

Iggy for President
said
0 0

The Liberal Party of Canada will be quite happy to have someone of Kories abilities join their ranks.

MasterWooten
said
0 0

Wow!

Must be a lot of wealthy people on this thread. Many folks here want a return to the NDP backed Liberal government. Thus then must be able to afford higher taxes during this period of economic downturn.

I say this to those of who you want to see Iggy govern with the help of Jack Layton, why don't you help your fellow Canadians by personally paying off their debts and bills rather than advocating for a government that will cost all of us more?

Kris D.
said
0 0

Walter (Winnipeg):

Yes, thanks to Harper and his $100/month (more like $87) my wife was able to quit her job and stay home to raise our family.

And we traded our magic beans that Harper gave us for a new mini-van too!

LOL. Wow.

We definitely didn't want the Government to create a national child care program so that ALL children could have the best start possible and one that would save families several thousand dollars per year.

But we cut the GST so my large double-double from Timmie's cost me $1.45 instead of $1.48.

Yep, thems family values fer sure!

Return of bad staff?
said
0 0

The return of Buckler? Why not just hand over 24 Sussex to Iggy now? Save everyone the time and effort. Things were actually looking up for a change. Too bad.

Michael Cambridge, ON
said
0 0

Re to Jay-TO...

Well said... This is just a other example of so-called "GOOD FAMILY VALUE" claims by other comments poster.

HIGH FOOD COST = BAD FAMILY VALUE IDEAGOLOGY!

GOOD FAMILY VALUE = LOWER THESE SKYROCKET FOOD COST.

That is what he should've done.

Other example of Conservative is not an family value party.

Buba
said
0 0

To anyone who really believes that Teneycke is resigning to spend more time with his family, I have some beachfront property for you in Florida - Florida Ontario, that is.

Catwoman 37
said
0 0

Meow, who is the next one to step down?
I have heard stores that public servants are working very long hours,etc

Sandra Mcwieve
said
0 0

Harper does not care abot family values... hes forces his staff to work 24/7 so that he can have his way with his hidden agenda..

Kudos to Kory to seeing through him and reliazing that a career with the conservatives is not really a career at all.

Jay-TO
said
0 0

Glad he's gone. How dare harper put a lobbyist in government. Even worse, one who has lobbied to have our food stocks converted into fuel and driving up food prices in the process. Now I know why that stupid decision was made or should I saw who was scratching whose back. Mulroney gonna look like a saint once this government is exposed.

Joe C
said
0 0

To the conspiracy theorists on this thread:

If you can prove that Teneycke is stepping down for reasons other than his family, I'd be happy to read them.

Until then, please don't make yourselves look immature by spouting baseless conspiracy theories.

Michael, Cambridge Ontario
said
0 0

Re to Walter (Winnipeg) Comment:
Good decision!
The conservatives in general have had good family values with the introduction of giving $100.00 per child per month to mothers so they can stay home with their child instead working and taking away a job that some young person can fill.
----------------------------

Geeze, 100 a month is extremely not helpful when you have rent/mort., foods for 3 or more,car insurances,car payment,misc, debt from colleges, credit cards debt (everbody have them), cable, water, hydro, property tax, pet foods, clothes, diapers, milks, baby stuff, beddings, house stuff, vacations, trips, phones, and many more expenses.

These are generally expenses that common folks families are facing on daily basis....

100 month verus that is not helpful...

Also you imply that one of parent should stay home... So all of that expense verus one salgary income is a tough life...

Apprantly Conservative did nothing to help with any of these daily cost of life.

They do certainly not have a good family value and most of these measures are basically an voter-buy which cost us more money in end.

Thank you Harper for ensure that I won't have kid for other 20 years because with my current 55K job - I certainly can't afford to have kid becuase I don't want my kid to live in ghetto.

Trent
said
0 0

It would seem alot of people know alot about this people and how they work together.. Makes me wonder what people are saying behind your back... Nobody is perfect,but then most people thought chretien was great and look at all the money we lost... I for one hate politics as there policey for any of the parties will never work for everyone really shit life if you think about it....

Rav
said
0 0

Must a slow news day!

dawn
said
0 0

another CON bites the dust...hopefully harper and the rest of the merry band of idiots will move on to spend more time with their families......and if anyone really believes that this communication idiot is stepping down to *spend more time with his family* should google politicians and their aides use this excuse constantly..roflmao

Adam
said
0 0

for Isaak, I think the reason has something to do with not being able to sleep at night.

James D'Ottawa
said
0 0

Wanted: A Nasty, Spiteful sycophant willing to do or say anything for an incompetent PM. Kory didn't quite fit that mold. Buckler's back no?

Isaak
said
0 0

A less time demanding job? When he signed up, did he really think this would be a nine-to-five job? I can't wait to hear the real reason for his departure.

James from Vancouver
said
0 0

Kory was too nice to get along in the PMO. Perhaps we will see a return of Sandra? With unemployment so high, my bet is Kory found a private sector job and jumped ship looking at the possibility of losing a fall election and being out of a job anyways. There was talk in June of other Conservatives quietly on the job hunt too.

Now if Harper and the rest of his clown gang
said
0 0

resign . . . we could have some government.

Roger T
said
0 0

Looks like Harper's cabinet is falling apart. There's always something behind a sudden leave, the alibis will be reported after his departure and replacement to save the embarassment for Harper's team.

Lloyd
said
0 0

I wonder who else from the Oil and Gas industry will now be directing the Government from behind the curtins. Either way, Canadian's will be screwed in the the end. It's no wonder we've gone from being the most revered country to once of the most untrusted.

Go Team Cons.

Gord. Robson, Nova Scotia
said
0 0

Kory is an outstanding person who
knows how to deal with people and
appeared not to be a push over.

He will be missed (I believe)
greatly by the Conservative Party!

Good luck Kory in whatever you do next! Thanks for your contribution to politics.

Jason Daniel Baker, Toronto
said
0 0

To avoid the appearance of turmoil in politics a staffer can be asked to walk the plank with this kind of "More time with family" stuff.

Harper doesn't like having his judgement questioned which makes things difficult for anyone trying to advise him. That can be frustrating.

But worse is when someone is asked to take the fall because the leader is no longer as effective when compared with alternatives on the other side of the aisle. And when attack ads don't have the same devastating effect that they did well...

When Harper leaves office and doesn't have power to discipline people anymore I am betting we'll be hearing more horror stories told about this Prime Minister than the ones former MPs have been telling.

Ian
said
0 0

I think there are two key messages here that send a very strong signal for which we as Canadians should take notice of.

First and foremost he is leaving to spend quality time with his family. Too many times work overshadows the necessity and values of home life and as such, the end result becomes broken families and violence.

The second is the comment that Stephen Harper needs to find someone to control and shape his messaging. Based upon how Mr Harper muzzles his people, perhaps all he needs is for someone to write down the taped transcripts as nothing else will matter.

Yes it does sound like an election is coming and we all better be ready for it. Last month's $7.5 billion deficit will only help in bringing the government down.

Michael
said
0 0

Yes - I could see how spending 24/7 thinking about Steven Harper could lead to fatigue and disenchantment...Surprised he lasted more than 24 hours...

Rev David
said
0 0

Wow...a man who chooses the highest office in the land... the position of DAD.

Great Job Kory

Walter (Winnipeg)
said
0 0

Good decision!
The conservatives in general have had good family values with the introduction of giving $100.00 per child per month to mothers so they can stay home with their child instead working and taking away a job that some young person can fill.

gail sutton
said
0 0

Maybe he found out working for an individual who really does not know what he is doing is any fun.

Rats are leaving the sinking ship. Do not forget Sandra is re-join the troop of one

Dave from Toronto
said
0 0

Man Harper goes through Comm Directors every few months! Not a secure job, I guess. Harper must be tough to work for.

Jo in London
said
0 0

Another one working for Harper stepping down? Seems like i've read this before. How convenient this time they can spin it in a positive light using his family...

Andrea
said
0 0

I can see why he stepped down.
Spending time with family for some people is more important.
And it doesn't matter on your political stripe or if you have a political stripe.

Samual
said
0 0

We all know Harper has his members working long hour trying to dig up dirt on Ignatieff.
Conservatives working 24/7 on attack ads.

G
said
0 0

I applaud his decsion and sacrifice to spend time with his family!!!

Leading by example. Family values first! We need more Canadians with this kind of commitment to family.

Kudos

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