Is this any way to manage a crisis?

The capital of a G7 country has been occupied by several hundred trucks and a few thousand protesters who are now three weeks into their 'Freedom Convoy 2022'. That capital is my home, Ottawa. Unlike the American promise of 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness', Canada is a country whose constitution promises, "peace, order and good government". Please - hold the laughter. Canadians have long been proud of that vision. The past few weeks have shaken that confidence in all three categories.

The world has turned its attention to Canada - not in a positive way. Another group of protestors have blocked the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, carrying $400 million of goods every day between Canada and the United States by - wait for it - trucks! All of whose drivers are double vaccinated and meet the stringent COVID-19 protocols. In fact, the Canadian Truckers Alliance, 90% of whose members are fully vaccinated, has strongly condemned the actions of these rogue truckers and their supporters and enablers.

In Ottawa, one-quarter of those trucks are carrying children. Yes, it's the Canadian version of Disney World - and cheaper! There are bouncy castles and loud music to keep them entertained. Fellow protesters continue to sneak the drivers diesel fuel cans right past police officers who make occasional efforts to stop them. Many have said they are not leaving until the Canadian government removes all 'mandates and restrictions' connected to COVID19. All of this in spite of the fact that 90% of all professional truck drivers are fully vaccinated and comply with the health mandates. So what had clearly been under-estimated by federal, provincial, municipal governments - let alone the police - was actually not a protest (a day or two of chanting, honking of horns and placards) but has become a full-scale occupation.

Decades of experience as a crisis communications specialist have led me to formulate some key principles which are essential to get in the driver's seat of an event before it becomes a crisis.

Six Principles of Crisis Communications

1. "Any strategy beats no strategy". Have a strategy. Even if it needs to be adjusted as events unfold, it is still infinitely better than what happened here. Clearly there was no strategy. The stated goals of Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly was to "negotiate" and to "de-escalate". When it became painfully clear within 24 hours that the 'protesters' were not remotely interested in either negotiating or de-escalating, then that strategy had to shift quickly. It didn't. The protesters made it clear that unless the federal government gave into their demands for the immediate removal of all vaccine mandates, they were going to park themselves here indefinitely. And so they have!
2. "Actions speak louder than words". Three weeks after the Police Chief announced police were 'overwhelmed' and "other solutions are needed" (but didn't say what), they still don't appear to have enough resources to contain the protesters or trucks, or move the trucks out of the core, let alone out of the city. For three weekends now, local hotels are filled with new and returning protesters. Weekends are party time now! In contrast, the day after the Declaration of Emergency by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, police began clearing the Ambassador Bridge - slowly, steadily, then stopping. Then beginning again. The protesters in front of them moved back (the occasional one needed a push), but they are accomplishing the task, without violence. A 'how to' that has yet to be applied in Ottawa.
3. Set your expectations for acceptable - and unacceptable - conduct in advance. And then follow it. The convoy began its cross-country trek to Ottawa from Vancouver in the west and from Halifax in the east. They made their intentions clear, but it seemed like the official reaction was mostly to ignore them, figuring they would drift away after a day or two. Would people on a one-week journey really be expected to give up after a day or two?

What should the Ottawa police have announced? Well for starters, you cannot park your trucks in violation of city parking regulations. If you do, you will be fined and your trucks will be impounded. No parking on residential streets. All noise violations will be charged if they exceed the by-laws. None of this was done in any serious way. What you do early is critical. Once the protesters see other trucks being towed (always with the option to drivers to drive themselves away first) they will tend to follow. If you do nothing at first, it tends to quickly set a precedence that is hard to overcome.

4. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. It seems like this was reversed. It appeared to be based on hope. Did we learn nothing from public acts of disobedience by crowds? The Jan. 6th invasion of the U.S. Capitol - which was far worse - still was similar in their adamant refusal to accept the 2020 election results, let alone the COVID restrictions. The 'Freedom Convoy' made it clear in all their public pronouncements that they wanted the overthrow of the democratically elected House of Commons by the Governor General and the Senate (both of which are appointed, not elected). There were other clear signs that whatever rules are going to be set down would be ignored. And for the past few weeks, the people of Ottawa have been suffering through this assault on their peace of mind and sense of safety and security.

5. Line up the political and institutional support you will need. In fairness to Chief Sloly, it became clear that the federal and provincial governments were determined to keep a low profile and were not fully engaged with the response until much later in the occupation. First with the provincial Declaration of an Emergency and then the rumoured federal Declaration which is expected shortly. It may well be that the Ottawa Police Service were biding time until those resources (RCMP and other police forces) were fully in place. Three weeks is a long time to have to tread water.

6. Symbols matter. The waving of Swastikas and the occasional Confederate flag were bad enough. The desecration of the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, as well as the Terry Fox monument triggered widespread anger towards the protesters. Just this weekend, protesters were allowed to tear down the temporary fencing around the National War Memorial because they had a right to have access to it too. No effort to stop them there either. Each of these 'triggers' could have been responded to and yet the decision seemed to be to ignore them. Again, who clearly has the upper hand?

As I write this, little has changed, except a galvanizing impact on ordinary citizens in Ottawa who are fed up with what they view as a lethargic, minimalist response. This past weekend they have intervened when more protesters began to arrive downtown to join in the 'fun'. A court injunction has been filed by a lawyer representing the residents of downtown Ottawa who were suffering from the all-night blaring of truck horns, with a 21 year old young woman bravely allowing her name on the legal filing.

So, in this occupation the citizens have reached their limits with uncertainty and anxiety replacing what should have been the leadership that would have prevented this. They are demonstrating the ability to endure provocation and to show courage in the face of it. A serious independent review of this event is required so Ottawa - and other cities across Canada and the United States - can learn from this failure in crisis communications and response.

Barry J. McLoughlin, BA (Carleton), MPA (Harvard) is the President of TLC Transformational Leadership Consultants Inc. with offices in Ottawa and Washington DC. (https://tlctransformleaders.com). He is a leadership communications trainer and crisis communications specialist. Barry is an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Business Administration and Community Development program in the Shannon School of Business at Cape Breton University and a Fellow of the Master of Political Management program at Carleton University.