Kory Teneycke
Encyclopedia
Kory Teneycke, is vice-president of Sun News Network. He was the former director of communications
for the Canadian Prime Minister's Office.
and raised on a grain farm in rural Saskatchewan near Young. He worked on the Progressive Conservative
campaign in the 1991 Saskatchewan election
. He also worked on the losing Progressive Conservative
campaign in Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia
in 1993, where he met and became friends with Brad Wall
. Teneycke then worked on two Saskatchewan Party
campaigns—in 1999 and 2003.
Teneycke was appointed Director of Communication for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
on July 7, 2008. He announced on July 28, 2009, that he would be stepping down. Prior to his role as director of communication, Teneycke served as an advisor to Preston Manning
and Mike Harris
, and a lobbyist with the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association
.
The Hill Times
reported on August 31, 2009 that Teneycke had accepted a three-month contract to provide strategic communications advice to Sun TV
. After a brief stint as a political commentator for the CBC
, In June 2010, Teneycke accepted a position as VP, Development at Quebecor Media. On September 15, 2010 Quebecor announced his departure. He rejoined Sun News in 2011.
account if Canadian activist Marc Emery
, being held in US prison for his Canadian-based marijuana seed distribution business, is "enjoy[ing] group showers as much as he enjoys pot. Three cheers for the DEA
." Marc Emery's wife Jodie Emery said the comment "shocked and disgusted" her, adding it's "a common perception that prison rape
happens in 'group showers.'" Jodie Emery publicly asked for an apology from Teneycke.
's request to have SunTV News designated as a Category 1 channel (a classification that would require all cable/satellite providers to offer the service) as all requests for this category are on hold until October 2011. At the time, Teneycke said "We’re not particularly fazed by that letter," stating "We’re looking for a cable specialty license. That’s what our initial application is for, and that’s what we’re aiming for." He indicated an amended application would be made to the CRTC.
On September 3, 2010, Teneycke on CBC
's Power and Politics denied Quebecor even asked the CRTC for this designation, stating
opposing the new channel was being infiltrated by illegitimate signatures, going so far as to send an update about it on Twitter.
CBC political blogger Kady O'Malley had questioned the source that Teneycke had cited in his Toronto Sun
article as there was no way of knowing who had actually signed up for the Avaaz petition as the signees were not published. Teneycke then admitted that he had a source who had provided false names to prove a point. Later in an interview, Avaaz executive director Ricken Patel indicated that the fake signatures that Teneycke had cited were all from the same IP address and were recorded at a similar time to when Teneycke had published the Sun article critical of the petition. Susan Delacourt of the Toronto Star
observed "Kory Teneycke seemed to have inside knowledge of the fake names on the petition.
Avaaz requested on September 14, 2010 that the Ottawa Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) begin an investigation to determine the identity of the individual responsible for adding the fraudulent signatures from an Ottawa IP address to the organization's petition dubbed "Stop 'Fox News North'". In his letter to law enforcement on behalf of Avaaz, civil rights lawyer, Clayton Ruby
, called for a full criminal investigation on the matter.
On September 15, 2010, Quebecor Media Inc. announced the departure of Teneycke. However, Teneycke returned to Sun News in January 2011.
Director of Communications
Director of communications is a position in both the private and public sectors. A director of communications is responsible for managing and directing an organization's internal and external communications...
for the Canadian Prime Minister's Office.
Career
Teneycke was born in ReginaRegina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
and raised on a grain farm in rural Saskatchewan near Young. He worked on the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan
The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a right-of-centre political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Prior to 1942, it was known as the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan. Members are commonly known as Tories....
campaign in the 1991 Saskatchewan election
Saskatchewan general election, 1991
The Saskatchewan general election of 1991 was the twenty-second provincial election held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on October 21, 1991, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan....
. He also worked on the losing Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
campaign in Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia
Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia
Swift Current—Maple Creek—Assiniboia was a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997....
in 1993, where he met and became friends with Brad Wall
Brad Wall
Bradley John "Brad" Wall, MLA is a Canadian politician who has been the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan since November 21, 2007....
. Teneycke then worked on two Saskatchewan Party
Saskatchewan Party
The Saskatchewan Party is a conservative liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was established in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal party members and supporters who sought to remove the Saskatchewan New Democratic...
campaigns—in 1999 and 2003.
Teneycke was appointed Director of Communication for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
on July 7, 2008. He announced on July 28, 2009, that he would be stepping down. Prior to his role as director of communication, Teneycke served as an advisor to Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
and Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
, and a lobbyist with the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association
Canadian Renewable Fuels Association
The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association is a non-profit organization in Canada, created in 1993. Its stated purpose is to "promote renewable fuels for transportation through consumer awareness and government liaison activities", and its membership includes "representatives from all levels of the...
.
The Hill Times
The Hill Times
The Hill Times is a Canadian weekly newspaper that covers the federal government and politics. Founded in 1989, this Ottawa based periodical is owned by Jim Creskey and Ross Dickson....
reported on August 31, 2009 that Teneycke had accepted a three-month contract to provide strategic communications advice to Sun TV
CKXT-TV
CKXT-DT was a broadcast television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and serving much of southern and eastern Ontario, owned by Quebecor Media through its Groupe TVA unit. At the time of the station's closure on November 1, 2011, the station was serving as an over-the-air simulcast of...
. After a brief stint as a political commentator for the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, In June 2010, Teneycke accepted a position as VP, Development at Quebecor Media. On September 15, 2010 Quebecor announced his departure. He rejoined Sun News in 2011.
"Group Showers"
In mid-2010 Teneycke wondered on his TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account if Canadian activist Marc Emery
Marc Emery
Marc Scott Emery is a Canadian cannabis policy reform advocate, as well as a former cannabis seed seller. He is currently serving a five year sentence in a United States federal prison for selling cannabis seeds....
, being held in US prison for his Canadian-based marijuana seed distribution business, is "enjoy[ing] group showers as much as he enjoys pot. Three cheers for the DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
." Marc Emery's wife Jodie Emery said the comment "shocked and disgusted" her, adding it's "a common perception that prison rape
Prison rape
Prison rape commonly refers to the rape of inmates in prison by other inmates or prison staff.In 2001, Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 140,000 inmates had been raped while incarcerated. and there is a significant variation in the rates of prison rape by race...
happens in 'group showers.'" Jodie Emery publicly asked for an apology from Teneycke.
Category 1 for SunTV News
On July 5, 2010, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) formally denied QuebecorQuebecor
Quebecor Inc. is a communications company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Pierre Péladeau, and remains run by his family. Quebecor Inc. owns 55% of Quebecor Media Inc...
's request to have SunTV News designated as a Category 1 channel (a classification that would require all cable/satellite providers to offer the service) as all requests for this category are on hold until October 2011. At the time, Teneycke said "We’re not particularly fazed by that letter," stating "We’re looking for a cable specialty license. That’s what our initial application is for, and that’s what we’re aiming for." He indicated an amended application would be made to the CRTC.
On September 3, 2010, Teneycke on CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
's Power and Politics denied Quebecor even asked the CRTC for this designation, stating
"We are not nor have we ever asked for mandatory carriage of this station where Canadians would have to be obliged to pay. We're saying that we would like to have it offered but theoretically it could be carried by no one."
Avaaz online petition spam
In September 2010, Teneycke responded to criticism of his initiative to start a right-wing news channel similar to Fox News in Canada which was perceived as getting preferential treatment by the incumbent Conservative government, his former employer. In news interviews, Teneycke attempted to point out that a petition operated by the group AvaazAvaaz.org
Avaaz.org is a global civic organization launched in January 2007 that promotes activism on issues such as climate change, human rights, corruption, poverty, and conflict...
opposing the new channel was being infiltrated by illegitimate signatures, going so far as to send an update about it on Twitter.
CBC political blogger Kady O'Malley had questioned the source that Teneycke had cited in his Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
article as there was no way of knowing who had actually signed up for the Avaaz petition as the signees were not published. Teneycke then admitted that he had a source who had provided false names to prove a point. Later in an interview, Avaaz executive director Ricken Patel indicated that the fake signatures that Teneycke had cited were all from the same IP address and were recorded at a similar time to when Teneycke had published the Sun article critical of the petition. Susan Delacourt of the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
observed "Kory Teneycke seemed to have inside knowledge of the fake names on the petition.
Avaaz requested on September 14, 2010 that the Ottawa Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) begin an investigation to determine the identity of the individual responsible for adding the fraudulent signatures from an Ottawa IP address to the organization's petition dubbed "Stop 'Fox News North'". In his letter to law enforcement on behalf of Avaaz, civil rights lawyer, Clayton Ruby
Clayton Ruby
Clayton Charles Ruby, CM, QC is a Canadian lawyer, specializing in constitutional and criminal law and civil rights. He is one of the most famous lawyers in Canada at present, having served as a defence lawyer in a number of high-profile cases....
, called for a full criminal investigation on the matter.
On September 15, 2010, Quebecor Media Inc. announced the departure of Teneycke. However, Teneycke returned to Sun News in January 2011.