Stephen Harper's website posts new video showing soldiers' faces

Another video showing the faces of Canadian military personnelhas surfaced on the primeminister'swebsite, just days after his office was forced to remove two similar videos that potentially endangered soldiers' lives.

This time, however, the video seems to have been posted with the approval of the military.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's staff took down two videos shot in Iraq and Kuwait becausethey risked identifying Canadian Forces members andexposing them and their families to possible attacks.

• Harper's media team admits Iraq, Kuwait videos a security risk

The first two videos were shot by 24 Seven, an in-house production of the Prime Minister's Officethat specializes in flattering features about Harper and his government.

• One segment was shot during Harper's visit to a KurdishPeshmergaoutpost in northern Iraq.
• Another video showedan interview with Defence Minister JasonKenney, and was filmed in Kuwait.

Canadian Forces personnelfacing the cameraare visible in both videos, despite strict warnings from the military about the potential dangers of showing members' faces.

PMO video: Harper visits Canadian troops in Iraq

9 years ago

Duration 1:05

CBC News has obscured the faces in this handout footage showing troops who normally are not photographed for security reasons. The prime minister's camera crew was filming where pool journalists were not allowed to go during Harper's stop in northern Iraq last weekend.

Media travelling to Iraq and Kuwait with Harper were required to sign a five-page agreement pledging to uphold operational security.Among other things, the agreement instructedreporters not to publish photographs that could identify any personnel "who are not designated spokespersons."

"Publication or inadvertent dissemination has the potential to jeopardize operations and endanger lives," the document warned.

Videos were not reposted online

When the 24 Sevensegments were published online, reporters asked the PMOofficials why they appeared to be ignoring the military's express instructions. The videos were quickly taken down after the concerns were raised.

At the time, a government official tried to play down the seriousness of the situation. Agreeing to speak only on background, the official insisted the videos had been preapproved by the military and only removed "out of an abundance of caution."

While the official said the government's intention was to repost the videos without any changes, they remained offline.

CBC News has confirmed the military never screened or approved the 24 Sevenvideos as initially claimed.

The PMOadmitted it had made a mistake.Rob Nicol, the prime minister's director of communications, issued a statement expressing regret and promising to review PMO protocols for posting images online.

Chief of Defence StaffGen. Tom Lawsonalsoissued a statement, sayingthat after reviewing the two videos, the military determined they presented only a low risk. But he saidthey should not have been posted.

Forces approved newvideo

The military could not muster that same level of concern for the latest video posted to the prime minister's website.

While the footage ofHarper in northern Iraq is almost identical to that shown in one of the 24 Sevensegments, the Department of NationalDefencesaid Friday the images had been approved.

The opposition has been scathing in its criticism of the government throughout thewhole affair.

NDP defence critic Jack Harris on Friday accused the government of being more concerned about "the prime minister's propaganda" than the safety of Canadian troops.

"They had about four or five different stories," Harris said, "and they never did acknowledge that they misled the Canadian people."

RAW: PMO media team out of bounds

9 years ago

Duration 1:16

At VE Day celebrations in Holland, the videographer and photographer working for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office tried to shoot outside the barriers set for the media.