Justice must be seen, and swiftly

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This article was published 06/02/2021 (2046 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HAD Wayne McWhirter, Don Plett and Rodney Baker spent any time as a reporter in a Canadian courtroom, they might have thought about this lesson before they decided to carve out their own tenets for a pandemic: “Not only must justice be done; it must also be seen to be done.”

Translation? You can’t just talk about how other citizens or your staff should acting during a pandemic. You must demonstrate it, too. It’s part of being a leader.

McWhirter, the now former chair of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, chose to go to Arizona this winter for reasons unknown, but we can safely assume it wasn’t to volunteer in a local hospital. Senate Opposition Leader Don Plett went to Mexico after issuing a video Christmas message lamenting how sad it was that Canadians would miss their family traditions this year.

But Rodney Baker, CEO and president of Great Canadian Gaming Corp., wins the prize for redefining what is good and just, after he chartered a plane so he and his wife could go to a remote Yukon community of 100 people, where they got in line with Indigenous locals for a COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile clinic, after claiming to be workers at the nearby motel.

When locals figured out the scam, the police were notified and the couple were charged with “failing to behave in a manner consistent with (their) declaration” and fined $1,500 — although locals were rooting for the six-months-in-jail option, which they felt would be better justice for a multi-millionaire.

The casino boss and his employer immediately parted ways — a clear, swift move. It’s exactly what we would have told any corporation to do in this same situation.

In our experience as PR professionals, the most common mistake employers make during a crisis is to hesitate too long before doing what they know they must do. And in the ensuing time that they stall, research, explain, defend, rationalize and consider all their options, the story gets bigger and bigger. Every day is another 24 hours of mainstream and social-media attention.

Days into the issue, the premier finally did what the Great Canadian Gaming bosses knew they needed to do immediately. He acted.

And that’s where McWhirter and Premier Brian Palliser got it wrong. It took too long to reach the inevitable decision, and was made worse by an unnecessary swipe by the premier at local journalists who asked why the chair of the largest health authority in the province was not being held accountable for an unhealthy decision.

Days into the issue, the premier finally did what the Great Canadian Gaming bosses knew they needed to do immediately. He acted.

Pallister issued a notice that stated: “… all Manitoba government order-in-council appointees — including those serving on agencies, boards and commissions — may not travel for leisure purposes outside permitted travel areas, effective immediately. Should they do so, their appointment will be terminated.”

Clear and decisive, but tardy.

To be fair, the Manitoba government had a few more pressing things to do last week besides having to remind its leaders on what is good, healthy leadership. And therein lies the second most common mistake made during a crisis: the decision-makers get trapped by other duties. They can’t seem to find the time to clear their desks for a few hours to deal with the crisis in front of them. They halfway hope it will go away if they just keep their heads down.

That’s because at first, the issue appears to be like a tiny, annoying bug that surely will eventually just flit off. It’s not until the buzzing grows louder — in the shape of reporters asking harder and harder questions — that they look up from their desks to see the buzzing sound is actually a growing swarm of wasps.

And by this time, the premier, prime minister, chair of the board, CEO or president will have taken a few swats at the media for being harsh or negative. And now, finally, under increasing pressure from their constituents, voters, stockholders or consumers, they finally bear down and do what they should have done when the issue first arose: deal with the issue, justly.

Shirley Muir is a former crime reporter and current president of The PRHouse.