All Canadian prime ministers have made attempts to manage the media -- reporters have complained about their lack of access to Liberals and Conservatives alike.

I’ve made a career out of advising politicians how to influence the media, including tips on how to avoid answering questions they don’t want to answer.

In this context, it is not unusual for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to try and control the media.

But he has taken it to new levels, unlike any prime minister before him.

Reporters covering Harper on the campaign trail are limited to five questions during media scrums and Harper’s answers to those questions are tightly scripted.

He has a message to deliver – and he does everything possible to make sure you and I will only read what he wants us to read.

The journalists who get to ask questions are pre-approved by his staff.

A local TV reporter was told last week she wasn’t allowed to ask Harper a question at a media event and that the next time she wants to do so, she needs to email his staff the night before.

Harper’s decision to not participate in the nationally-televised leaders’ debates was another blow to the media and their access to the prime minister.

As far as I know, it’s unprecedented for a party leader in a modern federal election to turn down the opportunity to speak to Canadians through a debate in the era of television.

But Harper has thumbed his nose at Canada’s national broadcasters.

Last week, a debate on women’s issues was cancelled because Harper would not participate in this alternative, nationally televised debate.

Then NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair backed out of the debate, because he refused to participate without Harper.

Harper is a master manipulator of the media – a political bully who gets his way and who so far has not suffered any negative consequences from a spurned group of journalists.

So why should you care if Harper makes reporters work harder, or limits their access to him?

Because a basic tenet of democracy is the public’s right to access information.

Democracy doesn’t work if you don’t have independent sources of information.

Harper’s control of information and the media is really control of you.

He is limiting your ability to educate yourself and know what decisions he’s making on your behalf – and why.

The Harper strategy to limit media access has worked in the past – but this success may soon come to an end.

Harper has traditionally been defending a campaign lead in recent elections. In that circumstance he can be short with the media.

But if Harper and the Conservatives continue to trail behind Tom Mulcair’s NDP, Harper will need to go on the offensive.

He will need the same journalists he has spurned to carry his attacks against Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Mulcair in the closing weeks of the campaign.

It will be too late for negative TV ads to be changed at that point. He will need to attack the Liberals or NDP through the media.

At that time he may very well wish he had another leaders’ debate. I hope media on the campaign trail ask Trudeau and Mulcair what policies and procedures they will use with the media if they are elected prime minister.

I am afraid this “new normal” communications strategy of limiting the media will be seen as a success by whoever is elected PM.

We need a commitment now from the opposition leaders to transparency and accessibility if they are elected PM.

On another note, this election I have been following an interesting website http://factscan.ca. It is a non-partisan fact-checking website on policy statements made by all the political parties.