Interestingly enough this kerfuffle started with Conservative blogger Stephen Taylor.
Taylor made a 24 second YouTube video featuring Green Party leader Elizabeth May and posted it September 10th.

The clip was picked up by a few other bloggers - most notably Buckdog; who received this from The Green Party’s John Bennett.

From: John Bennett
To: leftdog@hushmail.com
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:37:56 -0600

Please be informed that the if the video

Canadians Are Stupid!” - Elizabeth May

is not removed from your site with the hour the Green Party of Canada will seek means to prevent legal proceedings further slander.

John Bennett
Director of Communications
Green Party of Canada
(613) 562-4916 ext. 230
(Cell: 613) 291 6888
Fax: (613) 482-4632

It’s not called libel chill for nothing. Threats bring on a flood of emotions.
The Tyee picked up the threat and spoke to Bennett, and Conservative blogger Steven Taylor repeated both the Green Party and TVO were planning on legal action if the video was not taken down.
Buckdog took it down, apologized to his readers and fired back, John Bennett fired back and…

What does TVO have to say about this?
They aren’t threatening anyone with legal action, TVO gives out the facts and express some amusement about much ado over a pronoun. Jill Javet, TVO’s director of corporate relations:

TVO confirms that the audio of the clip in question is intact. As such, TVO is not and will not be pursuing legal action of any kind on this matter.

The Green Party informed TVO they will be issuing an apology to Buckdog. I have no idea if Buckdog will be posting the apology. TVO:

(Camille) Labchuk said the incident “was a misunderstanding on John Bennett’s part about the way that YouTube works”. The Greens do not intend to pursue any legal actions against any blogger, Labchuk says.

Fascinating. A well known Conservative Party blogger (and head of The Blogging Tories aggregator) makes a video, and an NDP blogger receives the threat from The Green Party’s Communication Director.

John Bennett dug himself in deeper when he talked to The Tyee

“It’s an attempt by the Conservatives through a front website to attack the credibility of Elizabeth May,” Green spokesperson John Bennett told The Tyee. “They took what she said, cut it up, then put it back together.”

And this:

Green spokesman Bennett insisted the tape was spliced, and threatened legal action.

“Stephen Taylor is a surrogate for the Conservative Party,” Bennett told The Tyee. “We’re considering legal action. TVO is considering legal action as well.”

Bennett said the Tories leaked the video anonymously through a blog website so that they could deny any hand in its creation.

“The Conservative Party has nothing to do with this production. I’m acting independently as someone who wants to see them elected,” Taylor said.

Conservative spokesperson Mike Storeshaw also said the party was not involved.

“(May’s) representative should take off the tinfoil hat and join us in the real world,” Storeshaw told The Tyee. “We’re not in the business of making staged videos.”

Bennett is correct, a Conservative blogger made the clip. The Conservative blogger is correct, it is not doctored, spliced and the original program is not hidden online, it is here.
Taylor’s little video was also linked on Bourque Newswatch in a paragraph of 32 links.

TVO: Elizabeth May ‘Canadians are stupid’ tape is “intact” and “will not be pursuing legal action” ……TVO: Liz May, the blogosphere, and pronoun trouble …May: No voter collusion with Dion …… Lib MP Murphy: No Green Shift this winter …… Green ex-leader Harris: ‘go back to canning vegetables as a way to reduce our carbon evils’ …… PM: BQ a spent force …… Wyatt: Justin feels Pierre’s presence ……Solberg: Wondering world of elections …… McRae: Is Elvis making election signs ……Adler: Albertans take democratic accountability seriously …… Linke: No nuclear funding from Dion …… Hebert: No stars in Quebec skies for Dion …… Bradshaw: Harper plays populist tune on arts cuts …… Corcoran: It’s time for tax cuts …… Gwyn: Avoid the ‘m’ word … Goar: Odd way for an election to begin …… Block: Tories eyeing traditionally Liberal ridings …… Cp: Online group helps swap votes ….. CBC …CTV …G&M …Star …Canoe …NatPost … Sun …Google …Wire …Blogs … Youtube … Twitter …Pics … Election Curios …Discuss …

What other bloggers picked up this 24 second clip?

A Google search shows The Grumpy Voter took it down. Just a little CONserned put it up, as did Right As Rain.
There are more posts about John Bennett threatening Buckdog than there are of Steven Taylor’s little clip. Taylors video has now had over 11 thousand views, several thousand more than he might have had if The Green Party communication director had taken a deep breath.

Well, Stephen Taylor freely admits he made it, posted it at his YouTube channel and at his site and he stepped up and defended the NDP blogger.

Blogs were a part of getting Elizabeth May into the televised debates, a party communication director threatening one blogger does not look good on The Green Party.

Bennett’s threat becomes a national story in a week of communication director missteps and it is what voters not following the elections online closely will see.

The Tyee ran the story of the Bennett threat. So did The National Post and Kady O’Malley at Macleans.

It’s a campaign, missteps are going to be made and bloggers are going to blog.
This kerfuffle occurred within about a 30 hour window.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May was going to be on TVO tonight anyway.
She’ll have the opportunity to address her pronouns and their context from 2007 and clarify her position. It’s her choice whether or not to re-iterate the Buckdog apology; I also hope TVO asks May if John Bennett has been asked to simmer down while receiving some well-needed internet use lessons.

Since I’m looking at political communication - interesting post at Boing Boing about TVO’s The Agenda and The Conservative Party of Canada.

Update: Buckdog get’s John Bennett’s apology, and posts his acceptance.
May addresses the pronouns, and says Bennett won’t be losing his job.