The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG) on Tuesday denied rumors of a process that would register votes of non-confidence from citizens in order to oust Justin Trudeau and his government.
“The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG) is aware that incorrect information encouraging citizens to contact the Governor General or our office to submit ‘no confidence’ votes is circulating on social media. This information is incorrect. No such registry or process exists. reads the post, which was shared on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by Rideau Hall.
This clarification from the BSGG comes after several weeks of protest against health measures where participants are invited to contact the Governor General to demand the dismissal of Justin Trudeau.
Friday, at the height of the police operation to remove the occupiers from downtown Ottawa, speakers continued to speak on a makeshift stage set up in front of Parliament. One of them took the microphone to read the phone number for the Governor General’s office customer service, and asked the protesters to complain about the actions of the Trudeau government.
However, for the past few days, the information that has been circulating no longer asks only to write massively to Mary Simon, current Governor General, but indeed to submit a vote of non-confidence to her.
This rumor would come from the Quebec leader of the trucking movement, Georges Samman, also known by the pseudonym Georges Tiger, who shared a video Monday evening about the votes of non-confidence. Viewed more than 48,000 times, the live video is a monologue by the health measures opponent who explains how to impeach Justin Trudeau. The man with a criminal record of fraud also indicates that the government of François Legault will be the next to be targeted by a vote of non-confidence.
He also takes advantage of his platform to indicate that millions of demonstrators were in Ottawa in recent weeks. Ottawa police say there were at most 15,000 people there.
A viral idea
The idea of a vote of non-confidence has thus spread like wildfire since Monday evening. According to information shared on social media by protesters, 900,000 emails would oust Justin Trudeau, which is false.
Here is a message that explains that if Governor General Mary S
Here is a message that explains that if Governor General Mary Simon receives 900,000 emails, she can oust Justin Trudeau as PM.https://t.co/U41GMwHRG7
Share, massively, in order to reach this number. pic.twitter.com/mXal9ObmlI
— Claude Gelinas (@logixca) February 18, 2022
imon gets 900,000 emails, she can oust Justin Trudeau as PM.https://t.co/U41GMwHRG7
Share, massively, in order to reach this number. pic.twitter.com/mXal9ObmlI
— Claude Gelinas (@logixca) February 18, 2022
In the Convoi de la liberté 2022 private group, a user wrote the following message:
“I just phoned the office of the Governor General of Canada. I waited about ten minutes and an agent answered me. She listened carefully to my complaints, mentioning that I believe my Prime Minister has lost his mind. I spoke to her for at least 10 minutes and she assured me that all complaints would be directed to the Governor’s office. She told me that the governor is in position to listen and protect all Canadians against any decisions aimed at putting these people in danger or depriving them of their rights. »
Similar misinformation also made its way into the comments of a live video of Pat King, one of the leaders of the freedom convoy currently being held pending a decision on his release. The message was similar in every way, inviting people to write to call the OSGG, despite a three-hour wait this time.
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General was unable to tell us the volume of calls and emails received in recent weeks at the time of this writing.
With Boris Proulx, parliamentary correspondent in Ottawa