Duffy Objection

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/8/2009 (2922 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Monday I wrote in my column about the Winnipeg-based Mars Hill Group landing a contract with the federal Conservatives to make personalized videos.

I found the information when I stumbled onto the Mars Hill Group’s website last week doing research for another totally unrelated story.
There in the middle of the page, to my surprise, was the following:

"Mars Hill Group has opened a new office in Ottawa. Oh, and we've landed a gig with Canada's national governing party, too.

The Conservative Party of Canada recently engaged us to deliver their message to supporters nation-wide. Using our unique messaging platform, VideoBridge, we'll help them communicate their message to thousands of Canadians through custom, personalized videos.

The first round of these messages, starring CTV veteran and long-time party supporter, Mike Duffy should be hitting in-boxes early this fall."

It was an interesting tidbit of information to me, and particularly as I’d already planned to mention MP James Bezan’s new You Tube channel in my column it made sense to connect the two.

This morning I got an email from colleague Kady O’Malley, asking me where on the Mars Hill website I’d seen the information. She couldn’t find it. I was surprised because it was right there on the front page when I was there on Friday.

Lo and behold I go and check and it’s gone.

Just to make sure I am not crazy I checked the page’s cache and there it was.

I thought maybe the Conservative Party wasn’t so thrilled to see their next advertising hit promoted by the company – an advertising firm specializing in online work.

But apparently Senator Mike Duffy doesn’t take too kindly to being described as a "long time party supporter."

Duffy, who until he became a Senator was a CTV television personality and political host, was appointed to the Senate by the Conservatives and sits with the Conservatives.

But he likes to say he’s not partisan: An amusing claim, considering some of his speeches and activities of late, but as a Senator there is nothing wrong with him being partisan now. As a CTV host, however, he was supposed to be neutral.

Anyway, the company still has the contract as far as I can tell, but I’m guessing the inaugural video won’t include Duffy being described as a long-time Conservative.