What a day! The TELUS AGM on May 7 at the National Gallery was quite an experience. We were promptly welcomed by the Gallery’s security guards upon arrival. One would even say they were ’suspiciously fast’ at greeting us considering the fact that we had just pulled up when we were pounced on. The fact the we had released a press release a day earlier stating that we were going to be at the AGM would’ve given them the opportunity to try and thwart our efforts; however, we were within our rights to discuss unemployment with Canadians, and we were determined to stand our ground.

After pointing out that the street sign indicated we were legally parked, the security guard disappeared back into the Gallery where TELUS executives were anxiously watching our activity from the foyer.

Our team was dressed for success. Wearing sharp black suits, and armed with petitions, we proceeded to engage passers-by to discuss the negative effects of offshoring valuable Canadian jobs. People were overwhelmingly supportive and appreciative.

In an effort to avoid having any controversy, the National Gallery’s security guard came back out (this time with two Ottawa Police officers) to tell us that we were allowed to be there, but that we were not allowed to have people sign petitions on their “private property”. We promptly asked why he was referring to federal land as private, to which his response was that they manage the property. We asked the officers where the boundary was between the National Gallery and the public sidewalk, and they tried to tell us that they owned the entire block (including the bus stop and sidewalk?) and our team was forced to stand on a small median in the middle of the road or face arrest for trespassing.

Luckily we didn’t believe this, and we made a call to Ottawa City Hall where we were informed that the sidewalk around the gallery was definitely public property, and that the city would allow people to sign a petition anywhere on public property. I went into the gallery to ask the police officers to speak with City Hall on the phone and they refused. They seemed put out by the legality of the situation, and I believe they just wanted us to leave. By this point there was a good half dozen security people and executives lined up at the front of the building as if our team posed some kind of a threat. Really, the only threat they faced was embarrassment.

Not one to be intimidated, I called the Ottawa Police and spoke with their Staff Sergeant. Once he heard the story he promptly sent a Sergeant and a Captain down to confirm what was happening and tell the gallery and their rental officers that we were entitled to accept petition signatures on public property. Both senior officers actually praised our campaign (and although they didn’t sign the petition while on duty, we’re hoping they went online later to demonstrate their support) and gave us some advice on other places to visit people in the city. Victory!

Upon having the official go-ahead we finally assumed our positions and spoke with TELUS shareholders and employees as they came and went from the AGM. It was amazing how the majority of them pledged their support, signed our petition and agreed that a company as profitable as TELUS should find a way to maintain jobs in the communities that they service and profit from. Not one person justified the moving of thousands of blue collar jobs to the Philippines, which is ironic because they had just heard a presentation during the AGM that discussed how offshoring did not have a negative impact (yeah right).

It’s amazing how some corporations will try to hush hush a serious issue when there are a few hundred million dollars of profit on the line. We hope that the KeepJobsinCanada.ca campaign will bring Canadians together and provide a platform to let these organizations know that they need to be accountable to the communities that they profit from. Together, we will bring change to help make Canada’s job market one of the best in the world. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to sign the petition and do your part!