And in a country with the most ovine population, too:
CSIS will neither confirm or identify of the Nazi flag bearer on the basis of national security.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) November 22, 2022
Some background:
A publicist and former Toronto Star manager yesterday was named as the masked provocateur seen hoisting a Nazi flag at the Freedom Convoy. The individual named denied it. The Prime Minister had pointed to the incident as proof protesters were violent extremists: “It was all over the news, the gentleman who was carrying the Nazi flag.”
**
NEW: We've got new photos and a video of the Nazi flag guy. This is everything we know so far. Please read, RT and help us find this individual. https://t.co/eYK307dEmv
— Candice Malcolm (@CandiceMalcolm) January 30, 2022
To recap: the same CSIS that had to admit that there were no extremist elements in the convoy movement (the RCMP also had to admit that) and which was under pressure to "reconsider" its answer that the Emergency Act was not needed may know the identity of an instigator.
Interesting.
That puts pressure on everyone else to discredit the popular grassroots movement that humiliated Justin:
According to text message exchanges summitted to the Emergencies Act inquiry, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s communications director was “encouraging” journalists to investigate who the convoy protesters were before their arrival and where their crowd-sourced funds came from, apparently without knowing if there were any particular concerns to be unearthed.
“I’ve been encouraging journalists to take a closer look at who these people are (and where three mil comes from),” Alexander Cohen wrote to Trudeau adviser Mary-Liz Power on Jan. 25. The “three mil” is a reference to the millions in donations collected by the Freedom Convoy on GoFundMe by that date.
“Obviously a light touch given the portfolio,” he added.
The text messages were entered as evidence at the Public Order Emergency Commission on Nov. 21.
In response to Cohen, Power asked if “there’s anything to be found in that gofundme?”
Cohen said, “I think it’s worth looking,” noting that he had “put” a named journalist on the issue.
“She’s obsessed with this kinda stuff,” he said.
“Nice. I’ll look into it too on our end,” Power replied.
Only a few messages were filed as evidence in a single document, which was a screenshot of a cellphone chat. At the top of the chat between the two, Power had sent a tweet from a columnist of a major newspaper who cited a quote that said, “I would like to see our own January 6 event.”
**
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told a secret cabinet meeting that Canadians with bank accounts frozen under the Emergencies Act should be denied their money unless they first reported to police. “Banks were pleased,” said confidential minutes.
(Sidebar: were they pleased when people pulled money from their accounts? I know that bureaucrats were quite happy to harm families by removing the means of life but what of the banks? Also, is Chrystia fine with robbing Americans? The Yanks want to know.)
**
Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser argued that the sum total of economic impacts, rising violent rhetoric and threats and increasingly entrenched Freedom Convoy protests created a national security threat that justified the invocation of the Emergencies Act.
(Sidebar: she is frightened by tweets, by the way.)
Yes, about that:
According to a Department of Transport memo, total trade in 2021 averaged about $390 million per day, meaning Freeland’s figure would only be true if the total number was divided by the number of days, which is not representative of the actual funds lost due to the six days of closures in 2022.
The extreme end of predictions about funds that could have been lost was based on a scenario wherein the automotive sector would shut down, which it did not.
Even in the extreme hypothetical case with a complete automotive sector shutdown, losses would total $161 million per day, less than half the figure cited by Freeland.
**
Despite the highly publicized blockades at Ontario’s Ambassador Bridge and Coutts crossing in Alberta, cross-border trade in Ontario and Alberta was up 16 per cent in February, compared to the same month last year, according to data from Statistics Canada.
**
In one email to a hotel, a convoy organizer inquired about booking rooms for 10,000 to 15,000 people for at least 30 days, and up to 90 days.
But why let facts get in the way?
Oh, it gets better.
Justin's hand-picked Liberal commissioner kicked the convoy lawyer out:
Miller was frustrated that he had yet to receive rulings on those motions from the commission, which is in the last of six weeks of public testimony.
Tensions between Miller and Rouleau boiled over Tuesday morning when the inquiry returned from a brief break in testimony by Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.
Miller stood up and told Rouleau he wanted to call the minister’s director of communications Alex Cohen to the stand all the while demanding a ruling on his previous requests to the commission.
“The application, if you want to do it, you’ve been advised it to be done in writing, not in the middle of a presentation,” Rouleau began.
Miller cut him off and said, “Sir, we’ve filed two motions in writing at your direction that you’ve refused to rule on with respect to the redaction of documents from the Government of Canada…”
Rouleau then tried to jump in, saying “You’re speaking … I’m speaking” while Miller continued arguing.
Rouleau took a pause and then ejected Miller.
“I will take a break while you’re asked to leave. I will return in five minutes, if security could deal with that counsel,” he continued before promptly leaving the room.
Miller then left in a huff, shrugging off approaching security while he exited. He was allowed back into the commission room Tuesday afternoon and he apologized to Rouleau for “talking over him.”
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