Article content

Greg Weston’s phone rang after 10 p.m. A top official from a senior minister’s office was on the line. He had a problem, he told Weston. Justice department lawyers were hounding a single mother who had made a harassment complaint. They were trying to wear her down with legal bills. And the official couldn’t get it to stop. Was Weston interested in the story?

You bet he was.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'It's part of how this town works': Mark Norman was charged over a leak, but in Ottawa leaks happen every day Back to video

The next day, Weston, who spent decades on Parliament Hill as an investigative reporter and columnist, picked up two thick brown envelopes from an agreed-upon location. He checked out the story, did his research then wrote it up. The fallout was huge. The bad press eventually led the federal government to overhaul the way it handled harassment complaints. And it all started with a leak.

For Weston, that’s how Ottawa functions, when it functions best. The official had a problem he couldn’t fix internally. So he leaked it. Weston wrote about it. Outrage ensued, and the problem was solved. “Leaks are the fuel of the whole Ottawa communications engine,” said Weston, who is now a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group, a lobbying and communications firm. “It’s part of how this town works.”