Darrell Pasloski, the territory's Conservative candidate in the Oct. 14 federal election, borrowed a page from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's playbook on dealing with the local media this morning.

He accepted only three questions from journalists during his campaign's formal kickoff.

After reading from a prepared statement in front of the Elijah Smith Building, Pasloski, flanked by his wife, Tammy and four children, said, "Harper and the Conservative Party offered the best political leadership for Canada."

He also chided federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's "ridiculous carbon tax."

In this context, Pasloski took aim at Liberal incumbent Larry Bagnell.

"It's a tax which Larry Bagnell supports," he said, before entertaining the three questions from the media.

Those included, "What is your greatest strength as a candidate?" and what strategy he will employ to try to unseat the thrice-elected Bagnell.

"Harper will trump Stephane Dion's vision and weak leadership for Canada .... the strategy is about the leadership of Stephen Harper," said Pasloski, before ending the press conference.

This came shortly after another reporter had asked how free he is to speak on local issues without directives from Ottawa.

Pasloski answered that he could "speak quite freely," before referring further queries and one-on-one interview requests to campaign worker Craig Tuton.

Tuton said he is not Pasloski's campaign manager but someone "working with the campaign." He has managed the Yukon Party's last two successful campaigns.

Tuton said Pasloski would not be available for interviews this morning.

That left the local media with essentially a Harper-inspired message delivered via Pasloski, a pharmacist who owns the two Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Whitehorse.

Two days earlier, at Conservative campaign headquarters in Ottawa, journalists attempted to determine, without success, if the party is muzzling its candidates, during a press conference with Tory MP heavyweights Jason Kenney and Lawrence Cannon.

While Pasloski's news conference left a lot of unanswered questions for local media, his choice of venues for the event - in front of the federal government-owned building on Main Street - caused some confusion as to the legality of campaigning on federal property under the Canada Elections Act.

During the press conference, Tom Sparrow, director of operations for Public Works Canada, summoned Tuton inside the building for a private conversation.

When Tuton emerged, he told reporters that Sparrow "reminded us that this was federal property."

"I assumed that (outside the building) wasn't federal property," added Tuton.

According to the Elections Canada rules, the location of Pasloski's campaigning did not contravene the act that governs elections.

Before noon, Warren Holland, who said he is co-managing Pasloski's campaign with Tuton, telephoned the Star to say the candidate will not be available for one-on-one interviews until early next week.

In the 2006 federal election, in which Harper won a minority government, the Yukon's Conservative candidate, Sue Greetham, garnered just 3,341 votes, fewer than half of Bagnell's tally, and 25 votes shy of NDP candidate Pam Boyd's second-place finish.

Three people will seek the federal NDP nomination for the Yukon at a meeting tomorow evening in Whitehorse.