Report on SPI inaugural event hosted by U of O and held at Chateau Laurier -- US propaganda for Canada's elite

Chateau Laurier, Ottawa, Canada (not USA?)

By Denis G. Rancourt


On September 10, 2014, the University of Ottawa, in Ottawa, Canada, held a fancy inaugural event at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, off campus, to launch its new "Security and Policy Institute", with launch event/gala funded by the main donor Symantec.

This was done on two-day's notice by way of a press release, without any consultation with the university community, and without any mention of the new institute at the so-called "Board of Governers" of the university. (See background report HERE.)

I put on a jacket and went to the event, that I assumed would be a press conference. It was a sit-down banquet and all the other guests had received notice to arrive earlier and were in the middle of their meals.

Another alumnus arrived at the same time as I, a charming woman interested in U of O adventures into the realm of knowledge. The hostess at the door kindly suggested that there were only two seats left at Table #1, so we trotted out together to Table #1. Table #1 was to be found somewhere in this panorama of the grand ballroom rented by Allan Rock for the occasion:



We found Table #1 quickly enough. I did not know any of the important folks at Table #1, except Natalie Des Rosiers, the present dean of the common law section of the faculty of law, the former General Counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and the former U of O VP-Governance who trespassed me from campus when I was still a tenured Full Professor, and who was at the meeting at which I was summarily fired and escorted off campus by police in December 2008. She was a bit self-conscious but kindly said hello -- to which I replied with a smile -- but she did not introduce me to the others at Table #1.

The table conversation was horrid. This man told the story of his poor son, it appeared, who for years wanted to served in a US-Canadian war on a front line (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.), but kept being assigned elsewhere because his services were needed on other military priorities because of his extraordinary talent, etc. Nathalie politely sat beside this man and never uttered a word.

Meanwhile, my date-by-chance and I raced through the salad, main course, and caught up to the crowd at desert and coffee. Best damn ballroom chicken I have ever had, I must say. The keynote speaker was being introduced as we poured coffee.

Allan Rock was nowhere to be seen. Probably not in Ottawa, as usual. The communications guy was master of ceremony. He has moved up in the world since I use to argue with him to provide sign-language interpretation at my events on campus, but that is another story. Obedience pays.

The keynote speaker was George Friedman, Chairman of Stratfor, a US intelligence corporation. (See background report HERE.) He told us that he has a PhD that he obtained, he said, for writing a thesis that has never been cited, about matters of no interest. Ha ha.

Friedman delivered vintage US propaganda tailored to a willing Canadian elite. The cartoon depictions of "geopolitics" delivered in the 45-minute speech would hurt the brain of any informed person unaccustomed to this kind of rubbish for the managers of US interests.

At times it sounded like he was also recruiting clients from the avid-investor category. There were investor tips on where best to invest to get the cheapest world labour, since Chinese labour is no longer sufficiently cheap, and that is causing China's downfall, etc.

He explained how US presidents don't apply geopolitical strategies but rather simply solve unavoidable emerging problems that they are confronted with, blah blah. I filmed a bit of that in this video:



It was all over the map (literally), without providing any information. That tells us what he assumed about the intelligence of his audience. This was confirmed by the probing questions that followed. I could not bear any more so I ran out, after excusing myself to my date.

The whole event completely confirmed my worst scenario. Allan Rock is totally using what is left of the good name of the institution to legitimize Canada's participation in the predatory US-military economy, and to help indoctrinate the elite managers.

There was not a hint of moral examination, or of questioning the foundations of the US-Empire and the destruction that it uses to kill emerging competitors and non-compliant clients. None. It is clear that the "Security and Policy Institute" is mental-bubble fabrication for the elite managers. The degree of mental compliance in the room was nightmarish. And the students and regular teaching staff were not invited.

Disgusting. All funded by the US-corporation and military-contractor Symantec. (See background report HERE.)