A year after the leadership changes, the Canadiens’ new staff is experiencing its first public relations crisis. A crisis that appears to be a series of unprovoked blunders, both by Carey Price and by the organization that put him in a bad light by clumsily trying to defend him.
Price stepped out of his usual discretion in an Instagram post on Saturday to speak out against what he perceives as excessive gun legislation. He fears the Liberal government’s amendment to Bill C-21 will widen the ban on some weapons he and many other hunters use that have nothing to do with possible threats to the community. .
(Taken from Instagram account CP0031)
As is often the case in the age of social media and information channeled through algorithms, everyone drinks from sources that reinforce their point of view. Never mind that Federal Minister of Public Security Marco Mendicino indicated last week that “the government has no intention – no intention – of going after long guns and shotguns,” an argument that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and they retorted after Price’s post on Instagram, The fact remains that for hunters, and for gun enthusiasts in general, there is danger at home. And this is the message that the champions of this cause send them.
Among those flag bearers is the Canadian Coalition for Firearms (CCFR), a pro-gun lobby that made headlines last week after its online store offered a 10% discount to customers who used the promo code “Poly “.
In vain the CCFR defended itself, on the eve of the 33rd anniversary of the massacre at the École Polytechnique, for wanting to refer to this terrible tragedy, the lack of judgment and the lack of awareness with respect to the natural bond that can be established in Canada between the arms and the inscription “Poly” exudes bad taste.
The controversy isn’t so much that Price chose to meddle in the debate over Bill C-21, which will ban the importation, sale and resale of handguns in Canada, but that his Instagram post specifically endorsed the CCFR, who supports the position he defends. If this promotional code thing hadn’t existed, and if all of this hadn’t happened a few days before the sad anniversary of the Polytechnique, we would have moved on in a hurry. Instead, Price gives the impression that he has approached a group that can very well be seen as a trivialization of one of the largest mass shootings in Canadian history.
Initially, it was unlikely that Price was unaware of the existence of the Polytechnic tragedy. That’s however what head coach Martin St-Louis, who commented on the controversy, proposed in Vancouver on Monday morning, as did Group CH France president Margaret Bélanger, who moved it up a notch later in a message sent to Radio-Canada.
“She was unaware of the tragic events of December 6, 1989 or the coalition’s recent marketing efforts,” said Ms. Bélanger, who says she brought to Price’s attention the extent of the backlash generated by her Instagram post.
And it was here that a controversy involving Price turned into a public relations fiasco for the Canadiens. Because by claiming the veteran goalkeeper was unaware of a historic event of this nature, he put him in a bad light. Price may have grown up in the forest, and was definitely only 2 at the time of the events, the fact remains that Polytechnique is an event that has gone beyond Quebec cadres. Across Canada, December 6 has become the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Did the Canadian really consult Price before going on to say on his behalf that he was unaware of the very existence of the tragedy? Apparently not, demonstrating a spectacular lack of coordination between Price and the Canadiens.
Ms. Bélanger and owner Geoff Molson joined the team in Vancouver ahead of Monday’s game against the Canucks, a trip that appears to have been planned for some time. They didn’t answer any questions, but in a statement released in the evening that sought to get their caretaker out of the hot water, the organization refrained from distancing Price from the CCFR.
Statement by the Montreal Canadiens pic.twitter.com/IoeEjoXjrc
— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) December 6, 2022
“Carey Price issued a statement Saturday in support of CCFR’s opposition to the federal government’s proposed gun control amendment,” the statement read after announcing she had donated to the White Rose Week campaign to send 14 girls from disadvantaged backgrounds at the Polytechnique Montréal science summer camp.
“As previously mentioned, Carey was unaware of CCFR’s recent marketing campaign or the unexpected timing of her statement. The Montreal Canadiens would like to send their sincerest apologies to anyone who has been offended or upset by the rhetoric generated on this matter lately. »
This press release therefore did not reach the words of St-Louis or Ms. Bélanger. But it also did nothing to dispel the impression that Price had missed a Canadian history class or two, so Price saw fit to release his statement on the morning of Dec. 6, stating that, yes, he knew very well and truly what the Polytechnic the tragedy was.
“Despite a previous statement, I was very aware of the existence of the tragedy,” wrote Price. I have been a part of the Montreal community for 15 years and understand the importance of this day within the community.
“Although I have no control over the timing of the C-21 Bill Amendment and that I stand by the views I shared, I recognize that amplifying any conversation about guns this week may have unsettled those affected by the events of 1989, and I apologize to them. »
Around 5.00pm, Monday evening, Price had confirmed on Twitter his support for hunters’ rights, adding that he frowns on the use of the promo code previously circulated on the CCFR website. If you were unaware of its existence, and entitled to the benefit of the doubt in this regard, you pleaded guilty by association by affixing his name to that of an organization whose members subsequently did not hesitate to add the hashtag #ImWithCarey to their own posts.
By attaching her name to a group that, at the very least, appears insensitive in the public eye to the human cost paid by 14 young women on December 6, 1989, Price made a clumsy and wrong decision. And, yes, it looks bad.
This isn’t the first time Price has caused discomfort about his relationship with firearms. In December 2012, a photo on social media showed him with another individual after a coyote was shot. The image had caused a brief outcry to which Price had seen fit to respond.
“Coyote hunting is a necessity to maintain population, Price explained. Too many coyotes = less game = no meat for my family. »
For most Canadians, “meat for my family” boils down to a trip to the grocery store. But that’s not the reality Price grew up in, and it’s worth understanding the context in which he chose to speak before throwing a rock at him.
As a First Nations person raised in the woods steeped in a number of ancestral traditions, hunting is not just a hobby; it’s part of her way of life. We may not identify with these practices, we may disapprove of them, but this is the reality Price was raised in.
When Price was a young boy growing up in Anahim Lake, British Columbia, his grandmother, Theresa Holte — a survivor of the horrific residential school system — taught him to hunt. She taught him about the seasonal cycles of wildlife in the Bella Coola River Valley, annual cycles upon which the Ulkatcho First Nation has depended for generations.
“Carey learned to hunt with his grandmother at a young age, it was important for him to learn how to do it,” explained Price’s mother, Lynda. Athletic in 2018. He was fishing for trout in the river that runs through our garden, where he learned to skate when he was 3 years old. She will never forget when one day she went down there and with her little pellet gun she shot a grouse for her grandmother. She thanked him and took him home to cook her. So it’s important to know that, even at a young age, she learned a lot from her grandmother. »
Price was only 6 or 7 when he shot this grouse. He was the first animal he killed, the first time he said he encountered something dead. He recalls that her mother was angry that she had left the grouse in the yard, which she had done because she was afraid to pick it up.
“He was very proud of himself, but I was a little concerned because I thought of them as pets in our backyard,” said Lynda Price. Also, she was in the yard with her boyfriend, so I was also afraid for her friend’s safety.
“But his grandmother taught him how important hunting was, so I knew right away that she was teaching him a skill as well. »
So regardless of one’s feelings about hunting, it has been an integral part of Price’s life since that day, and even before. It’s part of his identity, it’s deeply personal to him and it’s been passed on to him. It’s a life style.
Price’s stance on the sensitive issue of firearms has long been known. Whether we agree or not, this is part of his beliefs.
But as much as people need to understand his deep motivation for adopting this kind of position, there will be an expensive lesson for Price to learn in evaluating the context in which one decides to speak about thorny issues, and also to whom. we choose to address. partner.
As for the Canadian, it is surprising to see that, despite the changes made in the communication department and the improvement of his relations with the media, he is still, as before, in a situation where he paddles against the tide and plays catch. hockey in terms of public relations. The storm had already started when he got in the way, and when he decided to come to his player’s aid, he put him in a bad light instead.
Honestly, seen from the outside, the whole Habs way of doing in this file feels off the cuff, lacking in plan, and worth revisiting. A nice mess.
Fires don’t always start where you expect them to. This latest controversy is a hunting story against the backdrop of a historic massacre, and it comes from the Canadiens’ most notable player of the last generation, sure, but also from a semi-retired player who no longer has reason to pay for the headlines .
At one time, crisis management was the focus of the team’s public relations concerns. We certainly wouldn’t want a return to the old ways, as things overall are much better than before, but Price and the rest of the team could have benefited from much better damage control.
With the collaboration of Arpon Basu
(Photo: Vitor Munhoz/Canadian Hockey Club)
