Documents reveal the Victoria Conference Centre hosted the 'We Unify Reclaiming Canada' event after officials said they 'cannot restrict expression', despite concerns about misrepresentation. The event, initially touted to include diverse political figures, ended up featuring right-wing speakers, leading to chaotic scenes with protesters, security concerns, and a loss for the city.
When the organizer of the We Unify Reclaiming Canada event contacted officials about booking the Victoria Conference Centre, he touted invitees from across the political spectrum, including liberal luminaries such as Amal Clooney, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, B.C.’s NDP Premier David Eby, movie stars and more.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press under the Freedom of Information Act show how the centre came to host the event after a city official said it “cannot restrict expression” — then banned We Unify and Bower from the site in future, citing “concerns about misrepresentation.” “In light of these issues, we regret to inform you that the will not be able to provide venue services for future events,” Gauld wrote.
It said in a series of unsigned emails from its “communications team” that Bower played only a “limited role” in planning and did it as a “favour” to the group. A spokesman for Eby said an invitation to the conference couldn’t be found, but it could have came through a channel they were unable to check.The documents show that city officials were warned months ahead of the conference that it might not live up to its initial billing.
“He has provided us with a list of 55 potential speakers including Ben Affleck and other notables such as David Eby and Dr. Bonnie Henry. But tucked into the list are social agitators such as Tamara Lich , etc.Bower had also reached out to the conference centre, where staff learned in January that he was associated with the We Unify conference only after requesting credit references. These included from the Victoria Edelweiss Club which hosted the 2023 We Unify conference.
By then the promoted guests swung heavily right-wing, including online personalities Southern and Lauren Chen, although the latter did not end up attending. The documents show city officials also began receiving complaints from the public about the conference being held on public property, while a public campaign to cancel the event was launched by 1 Million Voices for Inclusion, an advocacy group, in the weeks leading up to the event.
An email from Moore to Bowers says that about 70 protesters had shown up, some wearing balaclavas, and some yelling and screaming “offensive language to delegates and staff.”The event notes also say someone from security told centre staff that police had been called about an alleged assault in front of the building. Then, after lunch, the afternoon shift “started with 911 call” although the details of this second apparent emergency call are redacted.
POLITICAL RALLIES PROTESTS SECURITY CONCERNS FREEDOM OF SPEECH PUBLIC SAFETY
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