The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition Prime Minister Stephen Harper is using a high-profile speech to press for pick-and-pay options that would let viewers buy only the channels they choose. The Globe's James Bradshaw writes in an election-style address to Conservative supporters marking the return of Parliament on Monday, Mr. Harper said his government is "helping families, and all consumers" by, among other things, "letting Canadians choose to pay for the TV channels they actually want." Mr. Harper's comments come amid CRTC hearings on the future of the television industry. Many have warned a pick-and-pay policy could actually drive up prices for most consumers and kill some channels. Pick-and-pay has become a political football. The feds previously called for pick-and-pay rules that would let TV subscribers unbundle packs of channels. That pressure for choice among channels is part of a consumer-friendly agenda through which the Tories have also taken aim at cellphone contracts and fees for paper bills. CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais on Aug. 21 said the CRTC has no contact with government about the outcome of the TV hearings. "We're arm's length," he said. "They follow what we do, I assume."