Its never good for a government when the RCMP raids their party office. Last week when the RCMP and Elections Canada executed a search warrant on the Conservative Party’s office it became clear there was something to the allegations that the Conservatives had overspent on the last election by more than $1 million dollars.

In typical style, the Conservatives (please don’t call them Tories) have gone on the attack against Elections Canada. Many of the candidates in the so-called in-and-out scheme have refused to be interviewed by Elections officials. According to a legal representative for one of the Tories’ candidates in Toronto expressed reservations about the accounting plan, saying he “found this move was being a little too creative.”

It is clear that the Conservatives have broken the spirit of the law. In an election as close as the last one the spending of an extra million dollars on advertising – especially considering the negative tone – could swing enough voters in key riding to swing from the Liberals. Its inexcusable considering they were promising clean government.

In another stroke of bad judgment the Conservatives invited some media outlets, but not all to a briefing yesterday – including the CBC and the Canadian Press. According to the CBC report:

When other media organizations, including the CBC, learned of the meeting, party officials scrambled to avoid them, switching hotels, slamming doors and scampering down fire exits to escape pointed questions from journalists who weren’t invited.

Is this the image a governing party should be portraying? Scampering down fire escapes to avoid reporters? Any first year PR student knows this isn’t the way you respond to a crisis. You invite ALL the media and are as transparent as possible.

The Conservatives have tried to control the media since winning the election and the Prime Minister has had a bully’s swagger when anyone dare challenge him. Now they seem to be running scared.