Posted on 02/06/2022 5:34:13 AM PST by TigerClaws
In the moments before the Ottawa police's Friday morning briefing on the ongoing anti-vaccine mandate protest on Parliament Hill, officers — both in uniform and plain clothes — and media alike awaited the arrival of the chief and deputy chiefs.
Meanwhile, a few folks were passing around a news release on tougher police measures coming in the days ahead, including one man who was not with the police services, but with the chief's office, CBC was told.
That man was Matthew Barnes, a senior consultant for Navigator — an elite and expensive crisis management firm.
Police chief Peter Sloly's office confirmed by email that Navigator was hired last weekend to "assist the Ottawa Police Service and Ottawa Police Services Board with communication/community engagement support on the first weekend of the demonstrations."
The full costs of the services aren't known yet, but according to the statement, taxpayers are paying Navigator on what's being described as a "fee-for-service basis," with "an upside limit" of $50,000 to $75,000.
There was no competitive bid for the communications work because, according to police, the contract is within the service's sole-source guidelines for special events.
Analysis: If policing can't end Ottawa's protest, then what can? Whether the strategy is working is unclear.
According to CBC sources, Sloly didn't strictly follow his speaking notes during Wednesday's news conference, when he suggested that it might be necessary to call in the military to cover the protest, and that policing alone may not be enough to bring the demonstrations to an end.
Police did not comment on whether Sloly went off-script on Wednesday.
'High-stakes communications strategist'
With the tagline, "When you can't afford to lose," Navigator describes itself as "Canada's leading high-stakes strategic advisory and communications firm."
It was founded more than 20 years ago and its executive chairman, Jaime Watt, was a Progressive Conservative strategist who worked with former premier Mike Harris, helping him launch his "Common Sense Revolution." He's represented high-profile clients — including, briefly, former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi.
Ottawa police launch 'surge and contain' strategy to manage protesters According to the bio on the company's website, Watt is "widely regarded as Canada's leading high stakes communications strategist, he is a trusted advisor to boards of directors, business and professional leaders as well as political leaders at all three levels of government across Canada."
Navigator opened an office in Ottawa last March, according to a news release at the time, led by Graham Fox and Barnes.
Before joining Navigator, Barnes was a senior communications manager to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and worked for her predecessor Bill Morneau.
Fox was formerly the CEO of think tank Institute for Research on Public Policy, and previously worked in government relations for the clients of law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain (now Dentons).
I guess it would be too much for the Canadian government to drop the mandates and make it all go away.
I'm amazed how libs have managed to stay in power for so long. And make no mistake, they are in power.
All they have to do is just back off a bit.
That’s ALL they have to do.
But they won’t, because power corrupts, and in their minds, the people MUST submit to their authority.
That’s why it’s proper for the people to place limits you their government (you shall not do this) not the government placing limits on the people (you shall do this).
As someone, I forget who, observed a couple of days ago: "How funny that establishment socialists complain when workers of the world unite."
So true!
They need a few more adjectives to reenforce Trudeau’s “fascists, Nazi’s, racists, homophobes, transphobes, science-deniers” shtick.
That should do the trick.
“When members of a representative govern lobbies the people, it pits itself against the very people it allegedly represents.” - another Freeper
Trudeau marched into the BLM protest in Ottawa and “took a knee” on-camera in June, 2020. Maybe he should try that approach here.
So the taxpayers (and I’m sure the overwhelming majority of tax payers are the ones protesting) are forcibly being taxed for representation that will not bring to fruition the will of the citizens, but instead uses taxpayer time and money to tell them how they will NOT be served by the very government that is supposed to represent them.
Wonder if in the history of the world that has ever happened before and what were the consequences????
It’s all about the optics.
Trudeau is simply a punk.
Hey Canada, your “leader is a PUNK.
Good luck with that.
Do a DuckDuckGo search for “Trudeau BLM”.
A dozen videos pop right up of him taking a knee at a BLM rally.
I’m waiting for Trudeau‘s goons to stage a false-flag event. Maybe it will be an act of violence. Or maybe it will be something racist.
Then the government and the media will blame the truckers.
When your ‘message’ is sh!t and you won’t change it, you hire slick-talking hokesters to massage your message for the gullible masses hoping they’ll believe the bullsh!t.
Six, twelve even two dozen woke word burglars can’t fix it with optics or words. Action. Substantive action that shows your policies were/are wrong with real contrition.
I don’t think the truckers were looking for “backing off a bit”.
The goal is no mandates, no forced clot shots or lockdowns or masks.
$50,000 to $75,000
In the two weeks since the Freedom Convoy began, polling has seen a 15% shift in favor of the truckers and their anti-mandate stance (39% to 54%)
Every day, the truckers gain more support - not just in Canada, but worldwide - and Justin falls lower in the polls
and that’s with the whole Federal Government, the Ottawa Police, and the entire Canadian Media establishment (except Rebel) actively slandering & vilifying them on a daily basis!!
given all that, seems like this “crisis-management firm” isn’t doing a very good job ...
1776
It is easy to stay in power, if you ensure the golden triangle between Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa are are ever for the policies of the federal government and the are the recipients of most of the economic benefit of Canada.
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