The relationship between Stephen Harper and the media is rocky at the best of times, but on Tuesday in Calgary a very interesting thing happened. The Prime Minister took follow-up questions from reporters.

Usually reporters get one question, and one question only, to ask of the prime minister. Many don't get a chance to ask a question at all, since he usually only takes a few each week.

On Tuesday, Harper changed his mind at the end of his first answer to a reporter's question. It was about the American military's plans to change its tactics against the Taliban. Harper said: "She can do a follow up, I'll let her do a follow up."

Then, one after the other, he gave follow-up answer after follow-up answer. Could this be a change for the future?

There's a back story to everything, of course.

The Prime Minister flew to Calgary to announce that the Inter-American Development Bank will hold its annual meeting in there, in 2011. Now his announcement was timed to coincide at exactly the same time with Liberal Leader's Michael Ignatieff's remarks to his caucus in Sudbury, Ont.

The Prime Minister started speaking just before Ignatieff, maybe he was just trying to keep the television networks focused on him and not the leader of the opposition?

Chris Rands