The organizers of a speaking event in Ottawa featuring a conservative European politician and a political commentator had to find another venue at the last minute after their planned venue abruptly cancelled their booking, saying the speakers were not welcome.
Trinity Productions had arranged to hold its event, featuring German Member of European Parliament Christine Anderson and Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek, at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre (OCEC) on Nov. 29, but it was cancelled on Nov. 28.
In the end, the organizers managed to find another venue to hold their event.
“We’re not defeatable and it just motivates us to work harder. It actually brings us closer together,” tour organizer Stacey Kauder said in an interview.
Ms. Anderson also told The Epoch Times that she is not deterred by the cancellation.
“That happens to us all the time,” she said. “It’s the usual tactics where they can’t cancel us directly so they go to the next best thing which is going after the owners of venues and they try to cancel us that way. But like I said, it’s no longer working.”
The organizers were told of the cancellation in an email sent in the afternoon of Nov. 28. The Epoch Times saw a copy of the email.
“At the time of your booking, there was no disclosure to OCEC of the nature of the event Trinity Productions intended to hold at our conference centre,” OCEC convention and catering director Claudio Dinardo told the organizers in the email.
“Today, it has been brought to our attention that your event features two speakers, Christine Anderson and Eva Vlaardingerbroek commonly associated with hate speech and beliefs that are antithetical and completely unwelcome to OCEC, its management, employees and others who use our Conference and Event Centre.”
The email did not give examples of speech or beliefs which the OCEC found offensive.
The Epoch Times reached out to the centre for clarification but did not hear back by publication time.
Ms. Kauder says she would have to review the contract again, but didn’t recall any clause allowing OCEC to cancel their booking other than for unforeseen events such as natural disasters.
Ms. Anderson and Ms. Vlaardingerbroek are currently on a cross-Canada tour with their “Make It Your Business” event, organized by Trinity Productions. Ottawa is the third and final stop before continuing to the United States for at least one more speaking engagement.
Cancellations
Among the groups opposing the event was Community Solidarity Ottawa, which states on its website the group is “Building a community response to the far right.” The group encouraged its followers to contact the venues in Winnipeg and Ottawa, as well as attend a protest against “Make It Your Business” on Parliament Hill on Nov. 30.Ms. Anderson has experienced protests and cancellations during much of her time in political life.
Back home, she said the German wing of Antifa has elevated a strategy beyond peaceful protesting to trying to inflict fear and damage on her party and those they disagree with.
“We live in a dark time,” she said. “For the last election we had in my home state, they released from all the candidates in my party every single private address, including licence plate numbers of their cars, everything. There’s been several attacks, cars burned down, houses vandalized.”
Ms. Vlaardingerbroek said this is her first experience being targeted for cancellation.
“I’ve never been cancelled in a physical sense, from a location or a venue, but I’m no stranger to cancel culture,” she told The Epoch Times.
“I’m not fazed by it, to be honest. The typical labels where they call us unethical—it doesn’t work anyway. They show their true colours and the only thing it does expose, once again, is the intolerance of the left. And I feel like we’re no strangers to that anyway.”
The Canadian tour featured many other speakers, including young activist Josh Alexander and pastor Henry Hildebrandt, known for his opposition to restrictions on churches during the pandemic.
Trinity Productions director Judy Stinson says the Canadian tour highlighted how connected Canadians are to each other and their passion for preserving freedom and country.
“We came away just overflowing and gushing. They don’t call it friendly Manitoba for nothing,” Ms. Stinson told The Epoch Times after the Winnipeg event on Nov. 28.
“We have so much support in the province, and people were just incredible, salt of the earth, motivated and organizing. Our federal politicians have no idea of the groundswell that’s out there. This is incredible. There is a tsunami of grassroots activism coming.”
