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CCCA_V6No1_CrisisCommunication-FIN_CCCA_V6No1_CrisisCommunication 2/13/12 10:46 PM Page 39 What about good news? Feature later died in prison, points to the approach taken by Bishop Companies also should be prepared to promote activities and Ronald Fabbro of the Catholic Church’s Diocese of London. initiatives that can bring good publicity and enhance the organi- “The bishop rose to the occasion. He went to the Chatham zation’s reputation. area, where the abuse occurred, and apologized profusely,” Ledroit But what role should legal play? According to Watson Gale, says. “He then said the church will do whatever it can to help vice-president, general counsel and corporate secretary of with the victims’ healing process and implemented steps to ensure Canadian Blood Services in Ottawa, in-house counsel have that such abuses will not occur again in the future, such as priests to “make sure that whatever message is put out is accurate not being allowed to be with children alone in a one-on-one and consistent.” basis. Compare that to the way the Pope handled the case of Every organization has a mission to fulfil; and corporate counsel, Cardinal Bernard Law [who covered up sexual abuse committed especially those involved as members of the executive team, need by priests in his archdiocese of Boston] by hiding him out in the to ensure that the mission is communicated in whatever material is Vatican. That received nothing but negative reaction.” released, says Hubert Lai, university counsel with the University of The bottom line: in order for your message to carry weight in British Columbia in Vancouver. the court of public opinion, it has to be delivered quickly, hon- “I’m concerned about the way the university is represented estly and sincerely. Furthermore, your organization must be will- publicly,” he says. “At UBC, we do a great deal of work in the ing to resolve any matter for which it, or any of its members, are area of environmental sustainability. … And as part of our mis- guilty by owning the problem, apologizing, making efforts to help sion, it’s crucial [that information concerning initiatives in this those affected and taking appropriate steps to ensure it doesn’t area] is communicated effectively.” happen again, Ledroit says. Furthermore, being involved in working on a public relations And even if no crisis appears imminent, it always pays to be ready, campaign can change the way the role of corporate counsel is especially in this age of mass communications. Says Ansell: “The perceived internally within an organization, thus helping inte- news cycle is hungry and reporters are looking to keep the news grate the corporate counsel into the wider team. machine fed, and you have to get involved now more than ever “Lots of people see corporate counsel as a ‘cold cloth’ that because of the proliferation of social media. Now, it’s a conversation, douses cold water over the fun,” says Gale. “But, in this not an imposition of your message as it was previously.” instance, counsel can allow an organization to take risks and say where it’s safe to go, encouraging enthusiasm [in the Pablo Fuchs is a freelance writer based in Toronto. process] rather than tempering it.” Le service du contentieux s’est néan- simple pour le public, pour qu’il com- En plus de livrer un message honnête et moins retrouvé à l’avant-scène dans prenne notre version », précise-t-il. sincère, votre organisation doit être prête Maughan c. UCB et al., une poursuite « Le public cherche toujours une à résoudre tout problème qui la concerne, lancée contre quatre professeurs de l’uni- dimension humaine, poursuit l’avocat, estime Paul Ledroit, associé fondateur de versité en 2002 par une ancienne étudi- donc il était important pour l’université Ledroit Beckett, à London en Ontario. ante anglicane. Cynthia Maughan accusait de présenter un visage humain : (dans ce Me Ledroit a défendu les victimes d’un les défendeurs d’avoir fait preuve de haine cas-ci,) qu’il s’agissait d’allégations prêtre pédophile. Elle doit en outre s’ex- ou de mépris à son égard en tant que sérieuses à l’égard de près d’une demi- cuser, si nécessaire, faire des efforts pour chrétienne. Elle réclamait 30 millions de douzaine de professeurs qui avaient dédié aider ceux que la situation a pu affecter et dollars en dommages. L’université a eu leur vie à enseigner à des jeunes. » prendre les mesures requises pour s’assu- gain de cause dans le dossier qui s’est La stratégie a fonctionné, selon Ansell, rer qu’elle ne se reproduise plus. rendu jusqu’en Cour suprême. « parce que dans le tribunal de l’opinion Et même s’il n’y a pas de crise im- Les juristes de l’UCB ont pris soin de publique, les émotions l’emportent tou- minente, il est toujours utile d’être prêt, préparer une défense qui ne se contentait jours sur les faits ».De plus,l’université s’est rappelle Jeff Ansell, surtout en cette ère pas de rejeter les allégations de la deman- montrée ouverte et honnête par rapport de communications de masse : « Le cycle deresse; elle racontait une histoire, précise aux événements — un élément crucial des nouvelles doit être constamment Me Lai. « Nous avons décidé de la garder pour donner le ton dans la sphère publique. nourri ». PRINTEMPS 2012 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association 39