Posted on 02/23/2022 1:29:58 PM PST by A Formerly Proud Canadian
Canada’s federal government paid thousands to influence American social media “thought leaders.”
The Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC is forking out money to influence American “thought leaders” on social media, says Blacklock’s Reporter, adding the plan coincides with US media criticism of the recently invoked Emergencies Act against the truckers’ convoy.
"The digital strategy would tell a cohesive story and lead to greater brand awareness across the United States as well as increased interest in Canadian activities,” diplomats wrote in a Statement Of Work.
"A critical piece of this project would be to re-imagine digital diplomacy outreach beyond the Canadian embassy and consulates to also represent Canada more broadly including Canadian figures, businesses and thought leaders with whom we are working across the United States.”
The equivalent of $36,000 will be paid to a US consultant S-3 Group LLC of Cortland, New York from the embassy to “design a strategy” to promote Canada across multiple platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to “enhance the public profile of the work done at the Embassy of Canada and consulates in various territories across the United States.”
The social media audit came alongside critical American news commentary over Canada’s declaration of a public order emergency against Freedom Convoy truckers. The Baltimore Sun said Monday the order could “echo for years in Canadian politics and perhaps south of the border.
In a February 19 editorial titled “Trudeau’s Destructive ‘Emergency’” the Wall Street Journal criticized the order as federal overreach.
“Trudeau justifies the ‘public order emergency’ by inflating the protest into a terrorist plot to overthrow the government,” reads the Journal.
"Protests aren’t emergencies and western leaders had better get used to handling civil disobedience firmly without traducing civil liberties. Mr. Trudeau criminalized a protest movement.
Under the act, the federal government announced it will “broaden the scope” of the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act, granting banks carte blanche to freeze accounts “suspected” of being associated with the protests, and may do so without liability or court order. Moreover, the act will give law enforcement officers “more tools” such as the ability to impose fines or imprisonment in areas where “public assemblies constitute illegal and dangerous activities.”
“This is about keeping Canadians safe, protecting people’s jobs and restoring confidence in our institutions,” said Trudeau.
TD Bank was gung ho to seize $1.1 million immediately after the announcement by YGL Trustee and Deputy Prime Mistake of (PRC (Politically Repressive Canada), Christia Freeland, that banks could freeze accounts without warrants. Banks are no longer 'freezing' bank accounts and now 'unfreezing' such bank accounts.
My guess is that $ billions were transferred out of Canadian-based banks internationally, after the announcement was made. Who, in their right mind, would want to invest in a bank (or in a country), where the dictator can just grab your cash or business, without due process? The banks would have screeched at the little dictator, to stop the overreach. Releasing the money is too little and too late. No one wants to invest in such an unstable government and even less stable 'dear leader'!
The Baltimore Sun is so right when it states that 'Little Potato's actions will "echo for years in Canadian politics and perhaps south of the border". I would add, around the world, also!
What a phenomenal waste of money. Conservatives can give a rats @ss about social media, and demonrats already have CNN, MSNBC and all of pop culture to tell them what to think
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.