May 24, 2012 5:50 AM ET
In the midst of an expanding social crisis, Premier Jean Charest is replacing his most senior aide and bringing back a right-hand man with a reputation for steady competence.
Daniel Gagnier is being brought back after three years away from politics and is returning to his old position as chief of staff. He replaces Luc Bastien.
Gagnier is apparently being given a mandate to kick-start negotiations with student groups and seek a resolution to the unrest plaguing the province, before tourists flock to Montreal for festival season.
His previous stint in the premier’s office coincided with an era when Charest was at his most popular – from 2007 to 2009.
At a time when Charest had a steady hold on power, Gagnier left a senior position at Alcan to work with him and he remained with the premier while he led a minority government; he left after Charest won another majority government.
Since Gagnier’s departure, the Charest government has been rocked by ethics scandals and now by the student-led unrest. An election is expected within months.
According to The Canadian Press, Gagnier has already been heavily involved in recent weeks, having offered his help as a volunteer.
Massive arrests
The annoucement came hours after sweeping arrests, the most made in a single night since the start of the tutition conflict, were confirmed in Montreal and Quebec City
Police in Montreal moved in on student protesters Wednesday night, kettling them and making a total of 518 arrests.
The majority of those arrested in Montreal will face fines, police said. Some will be charged under the Criminal Code.
In Quebec City, police arrested 176 people under the provisions laid out in Quebec’s controversial new protest law, known as Bill 78.
That demonstration was declared illegal because protesters refused to give police their route in advance, one of the provisions of the new law.
Police haven’t yet said what they will be charged with, however under Bill 78, those arrested can face a minimum fine of $1,000 for a first offence.
The students are marching against the Quebec government’s plan to raise university tuition. For more than three hours Wednesday, a crowd of thousands walked peacefully through the streets, and then the situation changed quickly.
“This is the 30th night of the protest,” one woman told CBC’s Tom Parry. “Can you imagine what’s going to happen when there’s summer festivals? … We’re going to keep marching. It’s not going to stop. Negotiations have to happen.”
Kettling is a police tactic widely used in Europe where riot police surround demonstrators and limit or cut off their exits.
It has been widely criticized because it often results in the scooping up of innocent bystanders as well as rowdies.
A recent report by Ontario’s police watchdog blasted Toronto police for their use of kettling during the G20 summit two years ago, saying they violated civil rights, detained people illegally and used excessive force.
The Quebec government has offered to return to the bargaining table, but it won’t give in on the tuition hike or on another student demand that it scrap its controversial new emergency law that clamps down on protests.
Protesters snaked through the streets for more than three hours before police kettled them.
Officers’ ‘physical integrity’ in jeopardy
Const. Daniel Lacoursiere of the Montreal police said officers were in danger and had to act.
“Their physical integrity was in jeopardy,” he told CBC News. “That’s why all these arrests were made at the corner of St-Denis and Sherbrooke.”
Riot squad officers had been marching on the sidewalk beside the front of the protest all evening. An order to disperse was given when protesters arrived at Sherbrooke Street, because police had been pelted by projectiles and other criminal acts had been committed, Lacoursiere said.
The group had also apparently resisted going in a direction ordered by police.
Those arrested could face charges under municipal bylaws or the Criminal Code.
Photographer pushed to ground
P.O.V.
Is kettling a valid police tactic? Take our survey.
The swift police action squeezed the mob together tighter and tighter as the officers advanced and some people begged to be let out, pleading they were bystanders. One photographer was seen to be pushed to the ground and a piece of equipment was heard breaking. Some protesters cursed and yelled at provincial police officers, who ignored the taunts.
Riot officers stood impassively around the corralled demonstrators, feet planted and batons clutched in gloved hands. On a nearby street, a Quebec provincial police officer was seen snapping a rod topped with the flag of the hardcore anti-capitalist Black Bloc and tossing it between two parked cars.
Police on horseback also provided reinforcement as officers sorted out the crowd.
Emmanuel Hessler, an independent filmmaker who had been following the march for a few blocks, said in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press from inside the police encirclement that he was surprised by the action, saying, “Suddenly, there were police all around us.”
Released from detention
Some of those arrested in Montreal were taken to the police’s eastern operation centre, where they were processed and released Thursday morning.
Several people who emerged bleary-eyed from the detention centre said they were bewildered by what had happened to them.
They said the march was unfolding peacefully when all of a sudden they were cornered by police at the intersection of Saint-Denis and Sherbrooke streets. They said they were made to wait for several hours and read their rights en masse.
One protester leaving the detention centre said he was issued a $600 ticket.
He described the police action as heavy-handed as officers were ordering the demonstrators to leave, but were blocking the way out.
from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/05/24/montreal-arrests-kettling.html
—————————————————————————-
using the number/letter grid:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z
Where:
A = 1 J = 1 S = 1
B = 2 K = 2 T = 2
C = 3 L = 3 U = 3
D = 4 M = 4 V = 4
E = 5 N = 5 W = 5
F = 6 O = 6 X = 6
G = 7 P = 7 Y = 7
H = 8 Q = 8 Z = 8
I = 9 R = 9
Daniel Gagnier
415953 7175959 70
his path of destiny = 70 = Coping. Being flexible. Handling change.
—————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————–
comprehensive summary and list of predictions for 2012:
http://predictionsyear2012.com/
—————————————————————–
—————————————————————–
——————————————————————
discover some of your own numerology for FREE at:
—————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————–
learn numerology from numerologist to the world, Ed Peterson:
https://www.createspace.com/3411561
—————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————–
Sex Numerology available at: