Drama Queen Diane Deans
Ottawa city councillor fails to repudiate her over-the-top convoy rhetoric.
Last Wednesday, the Commission investigating the use of the Emergencies Act heard from Diane Deans, who has been an Ottawa city councillor for 28 years. At the time of the trucker protest, she also wore another hat. She was Chairperson of the Ottawa Police Services Board. That’s a civilian oversight body. It’s supposed to ensure police don’t get out of hand - that they respect civil rights and human rights.
Witnesses make no statements of their own at the Commission. Instead, they answer questions posed by lawyers. The transcript of Councillor Deans’ testimony begins on page 1 here and runs to 183 pages. Below are a few highlights. All bolding has been added by me.
On page 11, Councillor Deans says:
we recognised the right of protesters to come to our city and protest in a peaceful way…our Number 1 goal is that there would be no serious injury or loss of life to anyone.
This sounds reasonable and reassuring. But on the very next page she declares that, soon after the truckers arrived, “I started asking those questions, like why did we let them in here.” By page 17, she says:
perhaps it was a bit of wishful thinking that they were going to be…gone after that horrific first weekend. And then the thought of going through a second weekend with more people, you know, wreaking havoc in our neighbourhoods in the downtown core was disturbing.
On page 18, Councillor Deans says that, from her perspective, the primary job of the police was “to try to shut down the occupation of our city.” On page 19, she says she recalls asking the police chief:
What will it take to end this occupation of our city?…what it would take for us to restore peace to our city.
On page 21 there’s another reference to “this occupation of our city.” Here’s what she says on page 35, about the second weekend:
A lot more people had come to town. They were wreaking havoc, honking horns, having parties on Parliament Hill, you know, really terrorising our residents, and it was just going on and on.
Those are her words. Delivered straight. Partying equals terror. Councillor Deans uses the word “occupation” six more times - on pages 39, 43 (twice), 59, 61, and 145. On page 167, she’s asked about quotes attributed to her in a CBC news story published February 5th - on the morning of the Saturday of that second weekend. She uttered these remarks, therefore, ahead of time. A lawyer says: “you're quoted there as saying, ‘The City is under siege’?” She replies: “That is how I felt.”
He then asks if the following quote, attributed to her, is accurate:
People can’t go to work or open their businesses. They can’t sleep, walk, shop, go to medical appointments, or enjoy their neighbourhood. This group is a threat to democracy. What we’re seeing is bigger than just a City of Ottawa problem. This is a nationwide insurrection. This is madness.
Councillor Deans responds: “That is exactly what I said.”
At no time, during hours of testimony before the Commission, does she walk back any of her rhetoric. At no time does she express regret for using such loaded language in a situation she herself describes as tense and volatile.
Let us now remember: there was absolutely no loss of life of life during this three-week protest. The only people injured were civilians (including at least one journalist). The only people acting violently were the police. This was not a siege, an occupation or an insurrection according to how those words are defined in the dictionary. A person in a police oversight role should not use such words carelessly, recklessly.
Lanes were kept open by the protesters so that emergency vehicles and traffic could get through. At no time did the protesters impede access to hospitals or doctors’ offices. (I personally couldn’t get near my hotel with my car to unload luggage. But that was because the streets had been blocked by police.)
Some businesses had their floors and washrooms cleaned by the truckers, who also kept streets and sidewalks free of ice and snow, and who were themselves collecting the garbage. It is the opinion of many Ottawa residents that the streets on which the trucks were parked have rarely been as tidy or as safe. By all accounts Ottawa’s homeless population was also well cared for.
There were no riots, no broken windows, no looting, and no burning buildings. After the first couple of days, the honking diminished significantly. Shortly afterwards, the truckers voluntarily stopped at night. By February 7th, a court order shut down the honking altogether. The truckers respected that court order.
Yet eight months after the fact, long after she’s had a chance to get a grip on herself, Councillor Deans describes this extraordinarily well-behaved, extraordinarily peaceful protest as horrific. She talks about it terrorizing people.
To this day, she apparently still imagines this was a national insurrection and a threat to democracy.
Honestly.
What you see depends on your perspective. For those with limited view somethings appear to be the opposite of what they are. In order to change your mind ( gain knowledge oft the truth) you have to be open to another view. As far as I can tell these are universally applicable statements. This woman is so obviously wrong because her view was very narrow and distorted by her fear. She hasn't learned. She is a public liability and should loose her job next election cycle.