ScreenshotPeter Goldring, Edmonton-East MP, doesn’t see how carrying a spy pen in his breast pocket at all times can be an issue.
In light of his DUI trial back in 2011 that Goldring was found not guilty in, Goldring has taken it upon himself to be on the defensive against any more attempts at “besmirchment” and other efforts to assassinate his presumably good character.
According to his recent interview with CBC (which includes lopsided POV shots from his spy pen), Goldring has plenty of good reasons for keeping his toy on him, as he’s beset by many enemies. Cops are conspiring against Goldring as he claims that the cop changed his story after he pulled over the MP, and unnamed political enemies within Goldring’s own party are plotting his downfall, presumably in some dimly lit parking lot. And who can forget his paranoid and outlandish statement last November, which he immediately retracted, in which he suggested the allegations of sexual harassment in parliament only goes to show how honest guys like him are the ones who have to watch themselves by wearing body cameras, so to not end up on the wrong side of a sexual assault allegation. Yes, Goldring has plenty of reasons to watch his own back.
And yes, he keeps that pen on himself at all times. Whether it be travelling through the airport, talking to constituents or even while running around Parliament Hill, it’s very possible that Goldring has it all on camera. He might tell you you’re being recorded or he might not. Best of all, he insists that it shouldn’t be an issue and that it’s just an ordinary recording device like a cellphone, therefore people shouldn’t find the possibility at all creepy that he might be recording them without their knowledge.
But people use cellphones for things other than taking pictures or videos. The same can’t be said of Goldring’s toy, unless you want to argue how it can be used as a writing tool. Recording with a phone is also much more obvious than recording with a spy pen. Journalists do often record conversations for articles too, but journalists don’t just record people 24/7 both on and off the job. And whenever someone enters a store, there’s usually a sign indicating they’re on camera. If we are to take Goldring’s point seriously about how his spy pen is no different than a camera in a 7/11, then he is going to have to start wearing a ‘Smile! You’re on camera!’ sign.
Goldring apparently lives in a world where people being recorded without their knowledge or consent is just a reality of life. He made a noteworthy statement last November after declining an interview with a Power & Politics producer. As CBC reports, “(Goldring) didn’t want to go on camera, but he told the producer ‘Do you want to talk about my consort-proof camera?’ and pointed to a pen in his breast pocket as if there was a camera there.” It’s pretty ironic that the producer had the courtesy to ask Goldring whether or not he wanted to do an interview, yet that same courtesy couldn’t be asked from him.
Perhaps it’s best to conclude with a piece of advice Mr. Goldring gave in his interview: “if you’re concerned about a TV camera, then I think what you should do is be careful on what you say and what you do.” After all the goofy things he’s said and done in the public eye, it isn’t clear if he’s followed up on that advice himself.
