Juno News - February 16, 2022


Marco Mendicino makes and walks back claim about violent protesters


Episode Stats

Length

6 minutes

Words per Minute

154.81172

Word Count

962

Sentence Count

40

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

2


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 earlier this week at the Coutts border crossing and seized a significant number of lethal firearms,
00:00:06.340 a large supply of ammunition, body armor. Four men were charged by the RCMP with a conspiracy
00:00:14.060 to murder officers. As the deputy commissioner of the RCMP noted, and I quote,
00:00:20.780 Monday's weapons seizure and subsequent arrests speak to the serious criminal activities taking
00:00:26.280 place during the protest and illegal blockades. The dangerous criminal activity occurring away
00:00:32.940 from the TV cameras and social media posts was real and organized. It could have been deadly for
00:00:39.560 citizens, protesters, and officers. We need to be clear-eyed about the seriousness of these incidents.
00:00:47.640 Indeed, several of the individuals at Coutts have strong ties to a far-right extreme organization
00:00:54.980 with leaders who are in Ottawa. We're talking about a group that is organized, agile, knowledgeable,
00:01:03.720 and driven by an extremist ideology where might makes right. And this is completely contrary
00:01:11.520 to our democratic values. Minister Manicino, you mentioned that there's these ties with a far-right
00:01:18.920 group between what happened in Coutts and what's going on in Ottawa. Can you explain exactly what
00:01:23.500 group you're talking about? How big is it? How much of a threat is this to people's safety?
00:01:27.860 We saw a bunch of guns and body armor in Coutts. Are you concerned there's similar
00:01:32.340 items in Ottawa? Just please expand on what you said, because that was quite striking.
00:01:37.740 Well, I think what we're beginning to see emerge now are the hallmarks of a sophisticated and capable
00:01:45.000 organization of a small number of individuals, but with a steel resolve driven by an extreme ideology
00:01:52.460 that would seek to overthrow the existing government and create some kind of parallel structure
00:01:59.900 whereby they get to dictate the rules based on untrammeled freedoms. And it may sound far
00:02:07.560 out there in left field. But looking back over the course of the last number of weeks,
00:02:15.320 and more importantly, seeing the developments of the arrests and seizures that have been made this
00:02:21.620 past week, there's a real danger in trivializing and diminishing exactly what's going on here.
00:02:29.760 And we have good reason to be concerned about that, as Canadians do.
00:02:36.440 I mean, you talked about the individuals of Coutts have strong ties to a far right extreme
00:02:41.260 organization with leaders who are in Ottawa. Are you talking about the leaders of the convoy who
00:02:45.560 sometimes hold press conferences, who we've seen on social media talking about fundraising?
00:02:51.620 Who exactly are you talking about? Does the group have a name? What is this far right
00:02:54.880 organization with ties between Coutts and the leaders in Ottawa?
00:02:57.440 Alex, those are very good questions for law enforcement and for police. All I can tell
00:03:03.720 you is that what we're seeing is a very similar pattern of conduct and the hallmarks of the ideology
00:03:12.220 and the motivations of people who are operating in different parts of the country who are trying
00:03:18.300 to interrupt our borders, who are interrupting daily life here in our communities. They use similar
00:03:26.200 rhetoric. They use similar rallying calls. One only has to turn to social media. But in terms of the
00:03:33.320 details, which I think you are quite right to ask, those are questions which are best put to our law
00:03:39.060 enforcement.
00:03:39.420 Can you please clarify yes or no? Have you seen clear or been given or told clear evidence of a direct tie
00:03:49.700 between the people who had the guns and the motives and plans to kill officers in Alberta and people who
00:03:58.100 are in the demonstrations and blockades in Ottawa?
00:04:03.100 The charges that have been laid in Coutts will lay out exactly what it is that the police believe and hope to prove in a court of law.
00:04:13.100 The point that is being made is that the rhetoric that supported the movement in Coutts is very similar and strikingly similar to the kind of rhetoric that we're seeing not only in Ottawa, but right across the country.
00:04:27.100 I want to follow up on Marika Walsh's question. I think that we need to be certain that it sounds like you are making the connection between the rhetoric of suspects who, you know, are accused of attempted and conspiring to attempt murder in Coutts, Alberta and the organizers here.
00:04:46.100 So is that what your conclusion is or is that something that's backed up by evidence of an ongoing law enforcement investigation?
00:04:56.100 No, I think you have it right. I mean, I think the pattern that we're seeing here is in the rhetoric that is being used not only in Coutts, not only in Ottawa, but right across the country.
00:05:04.100 And, you know, one, I think, can observe that very plainly in the in the the similar messages that are being shared by those who are participating actively in the blockades.
00:05:16.100 And so that unit that that unified and focused messages, one of concern, and I think does shed light on the ideological motivations of those who are prepared to move beyond just, you know, demonstrations in and crossing into a different conduct, which which would be illegal.
00:05:35.840 So that's your your conclusion.
00:05:38.400 It's certainly I think the conclusion of many individuals and Canadians who are taking a look at social media and it's extremely concerning.
00:05:46.100 But they have to be in spite of talking about these people.
00:05:47.320 So that's what I would say, while we're looking at home, women who are getting scared of this traffic.
00:05:51.180 The other resources they're covering or comparing them, I think that they're doing or they'll be trying to get to a point of a Cube that they are probably watching an open source group again.
00:05:56.280 So that's what they give a position and imagine.
00:05:58.280 So here's that...
00:06:00.440 So...
00:06:01.280 On 0
00:06:05.940 But,
00:06:09.800 What
00:06:09.940 It gets
00:06:11.720 っ