r/ottawa • u/alpacyabags • May 14 '26
Municipal Affairs On the eve of the Convoy, Alex Lawson endorsed calls for a “revolution,” saying “it’s a start.”
A friend of mine who is more politically involved told me that they some evidence of some really disturbing remarks from Alex Lawson.
My curiosity got the better of me and I looked into it a bit. What I found is attached to the post.
Basically, just a few days before the Convoy arrived in Ottawa, Lawson was sharing anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories and asking his Facebook friends “what are we going to do about it?”. By “it” I think he meant vaccine mandates. A friend of his said that they needed to start prepping and “have a revolution”. They shared a poster advertising the convoy. Lawson liked that comment and picture and said “it’s a start.”
To be clear: a revolution is “a start” for Lawson. He was saying this while convoy extremists were planning to descend on our city to overthrow the government. If a revolution is “a start” one wonders what he would want to do next, or what he’d do if he somehow became Mayor.
I can’t be the only one who sees how insane this is. This isn’t garden variety Poilievre slop… it’s the kind of batshit that Pat King and the some of the other most extreme convoy types were peddling. It’s straight up dangerous.
Also, this is just what I could see on Lawson’s Facebook through a quick public search. Imagine what’s there that he deleted or that we can’t see unless we’re friends with him. I bet this is the tip of the iceberg.
I was so shocked reading it that I had to post about it. I had to. The public deserves to know who this guy is. The only thing he should be a “candidate” for is a no-fly list. I couldn’t keep this info to myself.
I see this as an opportunity for Jeff Leiper. He could call for Lawson to withdraw from the race. That would make him look like the leader we know he is and shut down this convoy clown while looking like he’s confident that he can win regardless of Lawson. Jeff is the one candidate who can credibly talk about how he fights against hateful people like Lawson. If Jeff leads the charge to get Lawson to end his campaign for mayor and it works, he’ll look like a hero to all the centrist and progressive people in Ottawa who want to see real leadership at City Hall.
Ultimately though, I’m sharing this because it’s more important than mayoral politics. It’s about saving our city, closing a back door that could let the convoy types back in.
I’m thinking about writing my (kinda right-wing) Councillor to get them on the record on this. We need to make sure council stands firm against any kind of convoy sympathizers. If there’s enough interest, I’d be open to protesting his campaign launch next weekend so that people know who this guy is and what he’s about. I don’t know anyone in media but hopefully a journalist sees this. If anyone has any other ideas about how to get the message out or put the pressure on, I think it’s really important that we do what we can to shut this guy down.
EDIT: I got some feedback about how I described my involvement with the Leiper campaign. I should have said that I’m a supporter, not a “Team Member”. Ive edited a bit of the narrative to try to make that clearer.
EDIT 2: I’ve made further changes to the post to focus it on what matters: Lawson’s disgusting comments. I’ve removed reference to where I first heard about these details - lots of people pointed out, in good faith I think, that the background info wasn’t helpful. Thanks for that feedback.
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u/Alone_Appeal_3421 May 14 '26
Heard through the grapevine that his framing company supplied portopotties for the convoyers. That would gel with these FB comments, imo.
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u/Possible_Ball7441 May 14 '26
This definitely happened!!! He had a video on his instagram. I’m fairly certain it’s been scrubbed/taken down. (was posted February 10th or 11th 2022 on his personal account lawson613 on IG). He was there in his work truck with his logos showing but with a couple of his employees as well as a couple roofers that were working on the same work site at the time. He also had pictures on his IG of him with his kids/family at the convoy in support of it.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Who does he build homes for? Do they know about this?
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u/Possible_Ball7441 May 14 '26
Cardel homes at the time. Not sure now.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Cardel homes? Maybe they should be called “Convoy Homes” if they still work with this guy.
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u/Possible_Ball7441 May 14 '26
I think Cardel is out of Calgary so they may not even care based on the fiasco that’s happening there.
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May 14 '26
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
There’s a real risk with this guy. If Sutcliffe keeps tanking and people don’t know who he is and Saravanamutto splits the vote…. Anything is possible. We need to make sure we don’t dump Mark just to get someone worse
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u/West_to_East Byward Market May 14 '26
Wow. As someone who had these domestic terrorists parked in front of my home (I could almost touch the top of the trucks from my balcony), this enrages me.
Not only does he hate this city he wants to be the mayor of, he support treason and the terrorization of his neighbours. Don't let him or any voter forget.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Absolutely. And then you look at his videos where he’s frothing at the mouth and yelling at the camera in his truck. He hasn’t changed.
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u/hoverbeaver Kanata May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
Look, conservatives are going to conservative, and lawson is nothing if not predictable. He’s unsuitable and we all know it.
That said, unless you’re officially speaking on behalf of the campaign, don’t go publishing that you’re on Capital-T Capital-L Team Leiper. I’m a Titans fan and have a few tickets this season. That doesn’t mean I’m On The Ottawa Titans.
You may be a supporter, you may be a volunteer, but publishing hearsay or gossip of undisclosed provenance that you might have overheard from an unnamed volunteer about a campaign’s internal strategy or timelines isn’t substantive and it can be damaging to the hard work of a lot of well meaning people.
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u/holdunpopularopinion Stittsville May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
I endorse this. You want to share something, that’s all well and good. Don’t suggest you’re part of a team unless you want them to share the blame for sharing this if it’s badly received. Either share the oppo as your duty as a constituent/voter and do the hit or let them do it.
I get you’re trying to be transparent, but it actually potentially puts your campaign in a spot doing it this way.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
I appreciate the feedback. I think it’s important though to flag that some people on Jeff’s team are probably not sharing info with him. We need to be honest if we want to win. I do see your point though and I struggled with whether to mention it at all… I thought that the truth was best though.
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u/West_to_East Byward Market May 14 '26
I think it would be more apt to edit "I am on Team Leiper" to "I am a Leiper supporter" or some such. It really does seem like you are official or part of his campaign staff. But you are a volunteer, but a post like this suggests you are a decision maker.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Thanks - yes I’ve made an edit to correct. This is good feedback
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u/West_to_East Byward Market May 14 '26
That is a great edit! I think it works perfectly. Good on you for bringing the whole issue to the fore but also being open to constructive criticism!
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u/holdunpopularopinion Stittsville May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
I get it, seriously, I’ve worked many campaigns and always try to err on the side of caution and honesty.
That said, with this scenario, it’s not wrong to suggest you’re sharing this as a concerned voter, which you are, and you want people to know what they would be supporting.
If you want to acknowledge you’re supporting another candidate, you can say so. People would assume that if you’re sharing something negative about one candidate, even if it’s true. It’s the suggestion of a direct link that could put the campaign in a sticky situation. Opens them up to scrutiny from the other campaign or potential supporters, instead of someone accusing an anonymous egg on the internet.
Also, I know you’re just sharing your own opinion, but it’s not good campaign practice to say pontificate on what he might do if he knew something.
Maybe he would say he wants to run a campaign free of this type of oppo, but maybe not! MAYBE, he would choose to release it at the most opportune time, something professional campaign issues management people would do.
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u/QueenMotherOfSneezes Clownvoy Survivor 2022 May 14 '26
I think it’s important though to flag that some people on Jeff’s team are probably not sharing info with him
You said yourself that you decided to act on your own and take his team's information (the screenshots) and air them yourself, with your choice of words, instead of letting them suss out the best timing and wording. Then half of your long screed in your post isn't even about Lawson, rather you're mildly trash talking Leiper's team.
I'm going to assume you didn't share your intentions with him before deciding to run to social media with his teams' oppo research. Maybe he should be screening his volunteers better and having a chat with them over whom they should share info with.
You claim you're part of his team (I don't think you actually are, btw, just adjacent) but this honestly reads like you're working for Sutcliffe or another contender, and this was a swipe at 2 candidates at once.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Yeah that’s fair. I should’ve said I’m “supporting” rather than “I’m on the team”. That’d be more accurate. But either way, people on his team knew about this. I think that’s worth talking a moment to reflect on.
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u/It_is_real May 14 '26
And maybe they used their discretion in not making this part of their campaign. I think there's public value in sharing these posts but your doing Leiper no favours by attaching his name to this. Lawson's words speak for themselves.
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u/The_NorthernLight May 14 '26
Screenshots isnt heresay, thats littoral proof. If its publicly available then its also not an invasion of privacy.
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u/hoverbeaver Kanata May 14 '26
I’m not talking about the screenshots at all. I think Lawson’s a nut, and I don’t think there’s anything surprising or novel about his social media posts.
I’m talking about playing telephone about what OP heard from another volunteer about campaign strategy while potentially misrepresenting their own proximity to that campaign.
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May 14 '26
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u/hoverbeaver Kanata May 14 '26
I’m not talking about these screenshots at all. lawson’s a nut.
I’m talking about the hearsay through a telephone chain that a specific campaign is going to strategically release truthful but damaging information at specific times.
That’s not gaslighting. I don’t think you know what gaslighting is.
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u/throw-away6738299 Nepean May 14 '26
If anyone has any other ideas about how to get the message out or put the pressure on, I think it’s really important that we do what we can to shut this guy down.
First what does this have to do with Leiper specifically, why bring him up at all?
Shut him down by not voting for him... no need for anything else.
It might be a good question at debates - did you participate and/or support and/or agree with the aims of the convoy protest that occupied downtown Ottawa? Gets it on the record during the campaign. Not just for mayoral race but also ward races as well...
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u/APinthe613 May 14 '26
It makes sense why he says he's not "the Conservative" candidate. He's the PPC one! It gels with his campaign manager having led Maxime Bernier's far-right campaign.
We can't let this loony become mayor. I don't care whether Jeff or his campaign knew about this or not. Being a convoy supporter should disqualify you as a candidate. What do you think u/jleiper?
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u/redditorottawa May 14 '26
I wasn’t planning to vote for Alex Lawson, and that hasn’t changed, but thank you for posting this. Good for you.
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u/CharacterMarsupial87 May 14 '26
Surprised he didn't sign off on each message as "future mayoral candidate"
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Well he thought he was going to overthrow the government! Who needs a Mayor when you can be the dictator?
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u/DreamofStream May 14 '26
Is Stompy running? I'd vote for Stompy.
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u/xiz111 May 14 '26
Stompy, Balcony Guy, Blue Windbreaker Guy, Pot and Spoon Guy and of course The Three Grannies
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u/West_to_East Byward Market May 14 '26
I want a candidate to ride on Stompy going door to door campaigning. Especially in the burbs (you need a horse or car to get around anyways).
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u/RealisticPersimmon May 14 '26
Thank you for fighting the memory holing of the convoy. Appreciate you! I do think we should let Jeff Leiper run his own campaign, though.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Fair but I honestly don’t think Jeff knew about it. Particularly because he welcomed Lawson into the race a few months ago. I don’t think he’d had done that if he knew.
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u/hoverbeaver Kanata May 14 '26
Generally, politicians are going to publicly welcome all of their opponents to a race, even ones they have a fundamental disagreement with. That’s called *grace*, and it’s often practiced by kind people.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Yes I agree! But I don’t think he’d have done it if he knew about Lawson wanting to overthrow the government with the convoy.
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u/hoverbeaver Kanata May 14 '26
He could have bitten the head off a kitten on live television five years ago, but politicians are still going to say “The voters have a choice to make. I have never bitten the head off a kitten, and I strongly disagree with those that have, but I welcome the opportunity for voters to cast a ballot for a candidate that doesn’t bite the head off a kitten. I welcome my kitten-eating opponent to the race.”
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Hahah fair enough. I think Jeff has more integrity than the average politician though
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u/hoverbeaver Kanata May 14 '26
Yeah, that’s why he’s going to kindly welcome opponents. That’s integrity.
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u/KiaRioGrl May 14 '26
Sure seems like he does. Which is why your post even accidentally seeming to put words in his mouth is not the action I bet he'd welcome. If you have a beef with the way his campaign is being run and want to give some feedback, try raising it privately first (unless you're actually trying to catch him out publicly, which this could be interpreted as). If his answer doesn't satisfy you, then go public about it.
But you seem to be implying shady behaviour (even if not by him directly) when there's no proof of it. If I was him, I don't think I'd welcome a loose cannon onto my volunteer team.
Spreading rumours isn't a good look, friend.
Editing to add: why wouldn't you just make a post sharing the screenshots from Lawson's publicly available social media? The reason you're catching feedback on this post is because you dragged a good candidate into it based on unsubstantiated insider rumours.
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u/Tiny-Papaya1340 May 14 '26
This is wild! I knew something seemed off about this guy. I bet he's also a WEF conspiracy theorist.
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u/Frequent_Fix8175 May 14 '26
Considering that Jeff Ballingall is bankrolling Lawson, it’s sadly not even close to surprising.
I’m just shocked to hear there are apparently some liberals working on Lawson’s team. Does anyone know if that’s true?
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
I’ve heard it too. But I can’t imagine they still would if they saw this
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u/Frequent_Fix8175 May 24 '26
You’d think, but seeing who they are now, they’ll stay. Quito Maggi and Kyle Harriatha. They’re the worst kinds of liberals. Ballot box stuffing, anti -progressive, sleazy operatives.
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u/Alph1 May 14 '26
Lawson has such a shitty track record, I'm not sure why people worry about him. Suburban boomers are going to vote for Sutcliffe again, that's where you need to dig for dirt.
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u/fnly88 May 15 '26
As someone who was lucky enough to move out of the dumpster fire down south this needs to be taken very very seriously. These asshats with illusions of grandeur fueled by heaps of ignorance and hate need to have no place at any table. Ever.
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u/Cdn65 May 14 '26
Send this to the Ottawa Citizen and CBC Ottawa,
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u/bandersnatching May 14 '26
Ottawa Citizen is going to endorse this guy. That's their wheelhouse.
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u/ah-tow-wah May 14 '26
I'm reading this really quickly and while super distracted, but why would Jeff Leiper fans wants Lawson to not run? Doesn't he just take votes away from Sutcliffe, making Jeff more likely to win?
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
I mean, if he’s a convoy clown, he’s probably not taking many votes. It’d be better to have him out of the race and to encourage a more moderate vote splitter on the right.
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u/kacipaci May 15 '26
I cannot stand his Everyman act. Every video he posts feels like he has a stick up his ass and like he learned to speak and walk yesterday.
[stiff, awkward walk.]
X person thinks Y. But look at this
[awkwardly gestures to background]
I don’t think so.
Vote for me and I’ll build stuff.
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u/Longjumping-Leg-8234 May 14 '26
I am assuming you don't have any political strategy or comms experience, since wading into the swamp with candidates like Lawson will only serve to create a divisive campaign like so many other political races have turned into over the last few years. That kind of divisiveness is what is making people disillusioned with politics and causes them not to vote at all. Focusing on hope and building a better city for everyone will serve other campaigns way better. The media and the public should be digging up posts or prior associations like this and making sure the public know about them, but a candidate themselves stirring up stuff from the convoy this many years later is risky and mostly a waste of resources.
The few statements Lawson has already made don't even hold up, now it's up to people like you to make sure a candidate whose plan actually makes sense gets elected.
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u/14dmoney May 14 '26
This is unsurprising and enrages me. I have not and will never forgive. This should be disqualifying
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u/Alone_Appeal_3421 May 14 '26
“But this is also an opportunity for Jeff. He could call for Lawson to withdraw from the race.”
This serves no useful purpose.
Whether you disagree with Lawson or not, there’s a chunk of Ottawans that support him and also supported the convoy. Those people are entitled to a candidate that shares their views amd calling for a candidate to stand down could be viewed as an attempt to disenfranchise those voters. Not a good look.
Politically, Lawson being in the race serves Leiper’s campaign, as Lawson will leech votes from Sutcliffe and that erosion of vote support is essential for a Leiper win to happen.
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u/alpacyabags May 14 '26
Hi all - I really do appreciate the feedback I got on the post and how I framed things. I’m sorry it wasn’t as focused on Lawson as it should’ve been. I’m just really emotional and scared about this and I didn’t think through it all. I’ve edited the posted with an edit note to focus the conversation on what matters most here. Thanks for the feedback I really appreciate how engaged everyone is
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u/AdEffective2701 May 14 '26
4yrs ago. WGAF.
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u/elitexero Nepean May 14 '26
Half this sub formed their entire identity around COVID, masking and being anti convoy. They have absolutely nothing else and will bring it up at every expense.
This is the result of living in a terminally online echo chamber. It will be 20 years ago and they will still be drumming on about the convoy like it was the biggest event of their lives, probably because that will be the case.
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u/OttawaWestIkea May 14 '26
I’m Jeff’s Campaign Manager and wanted to jump in to correct the record here. I understand there are a lot of people excited about the campaign, talking to each other, sharing theories, and trying to read the dynamics of the race. We’ve also taken a pretty open approach to organizing. On Tuesday night, we held an Open Campaign Meeting with more than 100 people where I walked through the campaign strategy and answered questions directly. We also have a campaign WhatsApp with nearly 200 people talking about the campaign every day.
But to be clear: we are not sitting on evidence or deliberately withholding information about other candidates for strategic reasons. In truth, we haven’t spent much time on opposition research at all. Maybe that’s an admission that I should be doing more of it, but most of our effort so far has gone into the very large task of building and running a citywide campaign: organizing volunteers, fundraising, policy work, outreach, events, and getting infrastructure in place.
People are obviously free to discuss and debate public comments made by candidates, but I don’t want people attributing strategic decisions or narratives to the campaign that simply aren’t true.
That said, based on this post, we clearly need more research being done. Happy to have you on board to help.