No journalists barred from Harper’s trip to Southeast Asia, PMO insists

OTTAWA – A veteran TV cameraman will be allowed to travel to Malaysia with the prime minister this week after all.

Earlier today, Stephen Harper’s office appeared poised to scratch CTV journalist Dave Ellis from the trip because he asked an impromptu question during a media event last week in New York.

The TV networks fought back, insisting that they – not the Prime Minister’s Office – should decide who to assign to cover Harper when he travels abroad.

Shortly after news of the dispute became public, however, Jason MacDonald, a spokesman for the prime minister, said no accredited journalist would be prevented from boarding Harper’s plane.

During an event last week in New York, Ellis asked Harper about the charges laid against then-Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro, even though reporters and photographers had been told questions were not allowed.

Harper leaves Thursday for a seven-day trip to Malaysia and Indonesia, and CTV had Ellis accredited to work on the assignment as a pool cameraman.