The PMO is aggressively trying to limit reporters' access. On Monday, Parliamentary security personnel were made to herd journalists away from Harper's office, where a photo op involving cancer-stricken youngsters giving Prime Minister Stephen Harper daffodils was in progress.

Some excerpts from the CP story on CTV.ca. There's also a video clip attached of a party insiders' panel on Newsnet's Mike Duffy Live talking about this situation:

Harper ran on a campaign of open and accountable government,'' New Democrat MP Charlie Angus said Monday.

"And the first thing we see him doing is putting plywood up over all his windows and barring access to the doors. My question is, why? What is Harper afraid of?''

Harper's director of communications, Sandra Buckler, begs to differ.

"I think this prime minister has been more accessible, gives greater media scrums and provides deeper content than any prime minister has in the last 10 to 12 years,'' she responded.

As for a series of complaints by the parliamentary press gallery about access, she said: "I don't think the average Canadian cares as long as they know their government is being well run.'' ...

Among a series of media access restrictions already imposed or being contemplated, the most inflammatory is a plan to bar reporters from staking out cabinet meetings, where they can ask departing ministers about their portfolios. ...

Other planned access changes include:

• Withholding basic announcements of visits by heads of state and premiers.
• Issuing in-house photos of closed meetings between public officials, such as visiting premiers and heads of state, rather than allowing news photographers access.
• Refusing to use the national press theatre, where simultaneous translation is provided, in favour of a more prime ministerial podium in the House of Commons foyer.
• Making lists of media wishing to ask questions during availabilities, then picking and choosing which reporters get to ask those questions.
• Allowing only technical staff, but not the customary two "pool'' reporters who relay events to the wider press gallery membership, into photo-ops.

Antonia Zerbisias blogged on this (agin harper), as did Aaron Wudrick (fer harper), Canadian Publius (agin harper), Calgary Grit (agin harper), HarperBizarro (agin harper; posts press gallery memo), Cowboys for Social Responsibility (agin; several posts, some with useful links) and Far And Wide, to name a few.

Update:

This Paul Wells blog posting is probably the best commentary I've seen so far.