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Hidden-camera investigation of Scientology in Quebec

mnql1

Patron Meritorious
Feb. 25, 2011 edition of JE video in French on the JE website

The Feb. 25, 2011 edition of JE can be viewed in French on the program's website:
http://tva.canoe.ca/emissions/je/
English subtitles will take several days to prepare.

JE inside the Church of Scientology
(Hidden-camera images inside the Montreal org. Two female collaborators of the program take the personality test and the registrar finds their ruin. They take the communication course and find the TR's gruelling. Commentary by ex-Scientologist Jean-Paul Dubreuil.)
http://tva.canoe.ca/emissions/je/reportages/111241.html#

An ex-Scientologist tells her story
(Hidden-camera images of the two JE collaborators taking a Dianetics seminar. A woman who took Scientology courses talks about the money she had to find to pay for her bridge and about how she felt trapped at Scientology headquarters in Los Angeles and had to escape.)
http://tva.canoe.ca/emissions/je/reportages/111236.html#

Clearwater, Scientology's Mecca
(Scientology buildings and a few glimpses inside. Pat Harney and Peter Mansell confront the reporter as he walks around Clearwater. Sea Org members are herded onto buses to prevent them from seeing the reporter.)
http://tva.canoe.ca/emissions/je/reportages/111231.html#

Scientology is expensive
(Scientology's tax exemptions. Opening of the Quebec City ideal org. Singer France d'Amour photographed studying at the Montreal org. WISE businesses. Narconon. Scientology's infiltrations. Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette says that Scientology is a business and should not be tax exempt. She also says there should be a Canada-wide investigation about Scientology.)
http://tva.canoe.ca/emissions/je/reportages/111226.html#

Scientology Spreading its Tentacles
Hidden-camera images of a conference by a WISE management consultant. Scientology's front groups. Commentary by Prof. Stephen A. Kent. Scientology's tax status. Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette says that Scientology is a business and should not be tax exempt. She also says there should be a Canada-wide investigation about Scientology.)
http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/national/archives/2011/02/20110225-195059.html
 
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Infinite

Troublesome Internet Fringe Dweller
funny-pictures-evil-raccoon.jpg
 

mnql1

Patron Meritorious
Ex-Scientologist Jeanne's story

Translation of a French article posted on Feb. 25, 2011 on the website of the Quebec City daily newspaper Journal de Québec.
http://lejournaldequebec.canoe.ca/j.../quebec/archives/2011/02/20110225-222359.html

Jeanne tells her story in the Feb. 25, 2011 edition of the JE program (link (in French)).

Jeanne's Descent into Hell

by Michel Jean/Agence QMI

MONTREAL - Jeanne, who is now in her sixties, says she was a prisoner of the Church of Scientology when she was in Los Angeles. She managed to escape and return to Montreal. This was 18 years ago. Today, she shares her memories.

"At the end of my first Scientology course, I was floating. It was extraordinary! (...) Each course brought me more gains."

Jeanne - the pseudonym of this woman who wishes to remain anonymous - was introduced to Scientology by a friend. She quickly became hooked, as though to a drug. She was soon spending all her evenings, and even weekends, at the movement's building on Papineau Avenue.

"It became compulsive," she admits. "I wanted to be surrounded by Scientologists. I wished that my husband and my children would be Scientologists. I was so convinced that Scientology was THE answer that I wanted those I love to be part of it. Thank God no one listened to me."

Jeanne spent all her money on courses, and she was soon spending more than she was earning. One day, the Church sent a member to help her convince her father to lend her a large sum to buy a training cruise on the movement's ship, the Freewinds, and to buy a series of courses that cost her more than $8,000. "I used manipulation to obtain the money and I got it," she said, astonished. My father thought that something serious had happened and that I needed the money. He sent me the money without asking any questions."

In total, Jane spent about $40,000 on Scientology.

Breakdown

After five and a half years in the movement, she found herself in Los Angeles. She lived and studied there from 8 A.M. to 10 P.M., seven days a week. "We only had Sunday morning free to do our housekeeping and our laundry. Officials took roll call three times a day. And it was in your interest not to be late."

Her balance soon began to teeter. She wept for no reason, lying in her bed in a dormitory where she lived with other students.

When her husband left, her fragile equilibrium was shattered. "I lost my bearings. I began to cry without being able to stop." She wanted to leave and return to Montreal. The Church refused. Two bodyguards were assigned to watch over her 24 hours a day. "The 'bouncers' followed me without saying a word. They walked two steps behind me. They followed me everywhere and remained outside the door of the dormitory at night. I was a prisoner."

Then, "I pretended that things were going better. They wouldn't let me go because they said people were going to hurt me outside. So I acted as though I was feeling better. And they believed me."

As soon as she was released from her minders, Jeanne fled. "At the bus terminal, I was afraid. Afraid! I hid behind the benches, behind the columns. I knew that if they saw me, they would come get me and they would not let me leave."

It was only after the bus was heading to New York that she was able to breathe. Jeanne had turned her back on Scientology once and for all.
 

scooter

Gold Meritorious Patron
Oh this is so nice to read yet another country is really investigating our toxic cult. :happydance:

Thanks to all who've helped on this one - it's obvious the journalists have been well-briefed and did a great job because of it. :clap:
 

Jump

Operating teatime
As soon as she was released from her minders, Jeanne fled. "At the bus terminal, I was afraid. Afraid! I hid behind the benches, behind the columns. I knew that if they saw me, they would come get me and they would not let me leave."

It was only after the bus was heading to New York that she was able to breathe. Jeanne had turned her back on Scientology once and for all.

This behaviour is sometimes seen as paranoia - in this case, it was pure self-preservation
 

mnql1

Patron Meritorious
WISE, front groups, and Scientology's tax exempt status

Translation of a French article posted on Feb. 25, 2011 on the website of TVA, which broadcasts the "JE" program.

http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/national/archives/2011/02/20110225-195059.html

This story is part of the Feb. 25, 2011 edition of the "JE" program (link (in French)).

Scientology Spreading its Tentacles

by Michel Jean, TVA News

During its investigation of the Church of Scientology, the "JE" team observed that the movement has been extending its tentacles in Quebec, particularly in the world of business.

Equipped with a hidden camera, a member of the "JE" team attended what looked like a typical business lunch. For an hour and a half, Sylvain McDuff, a management consultant, explained to small business owners and managers how his management methods can help them.

He is in his fifties, a graduate of the Hubbard College of Administration in California, where WISE (World Institute of Scientology Enterprises) consultants are trained. He emphasized the uniqueness of his system. However, he never mentioned that its author is the same man who founded the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.

The method that McDuff presents emphasizes organization and prioritization of tasks, two key points in Scientology.

When the "JE" team member asked the consultant if there is a connection between his program and Scientology, the consultant strongly denied any ties: "Ron Hubbard wrote many books," he says, "And some are about helping groups function more effectively. I use the works he has written about management. Scientology is a religious philosophy. This is separate."

The Scientology Nebula

The administration system that was developed by L. Ron Hubbard and which Sylvain McDuff studied and imported is called WISE, "World Institute of Scientology Enterprises." For the leading expert on Scientology in Canada, Dr. Stephen A. Kent at the University of Alberta, Scientology and WISE are one and the same. WISE is also, in his opinion, only a part of the Scientology nebula.

WISE (business people), Narconon (fight against drug abuse), Criminon (fight against crime), the Citizens Commission for Human Rights (anti-psychiatry), Applied Scholastics (education), all these organizations defend and promote the movement's ideas while claiming to be independent from the Church.

"These programs - and WISE is a good example - are a way for Scientology to get its so-called technology into the business community," says Professor Kent. "The idea is that get the technology in and then Scientology ethics, its morals and the ways it handles itself, criticism and deviance, will follow.

One of Groupe McDuff's business clients told "JE" that one of its associates had converted to Scientology after taking training courses. This created tensions that led to his departure. A manager at another client business said that WISE's methods cause uneasinessamong non-Scientologist employees.

Sylvain McDuff refused "JE"'s request for television interview. During a telephone conversation, he reiterated that his methods were separate from the religious philosophy of the Church of Scientology and that the training he offers is strictly about management principles developed by L. Ron Hubbard and by himself.

Should the status of Scientology in Canada be reviewed?

The Church of Scientology is exempt from municipal taxes thanks to its status as a religious corporation in Quebec. Canada recognizes it as a non-profit organization. In addition, Narconon, which treats addicts using Hubbard's methods, has the status of a charitable organization. As a result, donations are partially tax deductible.

The Church of Scientology turned down "JE"'s request for an interview. In an email, its spokesman said his movement meets the criteria and that "the decision by the Government of Quebec in 1993 to recognize Scientology as a religion is not a controversial matter."

At least one politician does not agree. Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette wonders how a movement that has already been convicted of organized fraud in France and of breach of trust in Ontario in 1992 was able, one year later, to obtain the status of a religious corporation in Quebec. "Ontario did a thorough investigation and discovered that they had infiltrated various government departments and the RCMP."

The senator said she was "appalled" to see an organization like the Church of Scientology benefit from such a treatment.
 
Time is relative!

4 months is hardly enough time to get a job working in scio company or have your kid get hard core regged for the sea org. :confused2: 4 months could be enough time for someone to question their friends and family "intentions". :duh: 4 months gets you intro feel good stuff but not enough of the pressure. :unsure: I wonder if they attended events? It's tough to explain "gazing" at someone or "touching" things. I would hope that the connection between indoctrination and eventual deconstruction is represented in this expose. :yes: I still struggle to articulate it myself in here! That is what is needed to really enlighten people.

I dunno honey, they wanted me on staff immediately! (I politely delclined) Maybe things move faster now when they are desperate for more bodies in the shop? :confused2:

Good job French Canadians! Wish we had more undercover reporting here! :happydance: Great job everyone who had a hand in aiding this investigative reporting!

Thanks also to MNQL1 for sharing the good news with us here, and for all the good work that he does for the cause!!! :happydance:
 

Mick Wenlock

Admin Emeritus (retired)
4 months is hardly enough time to get a job working in scio company or have your kid get hard core regged for the sea org. :confused2: 4 months could be enough time for someone to question their friends and family "intentions". :duh: 4 months gets you intro feel good stuff but not enough of the pressure. :unsure: I wonder if they attended events? It's tough to explain "gazing" at someone or "touching" things. I would hope that the connection between indoctrination and eventual deconstruction is represented in this expose. :yes: I still struggle to articulate it myself in here! That is what is needed to really enlighten people.

I got into Scientology in Nov 1976 and did the comm course. Within a week I was on staff. By December I was in the Sea Org at St Hill. By January I was on my first Mission. In March I was back in Scotland recruiting people to man up Div 6. That was four months.
 

mnql1

Patron Meritorious
One of the infiltrators describes her experience

Translation of a French article posted on Feb. 26, 2011 on the website of the Montreal daily newspaper Le Journal de Montréal.
http://lejournaldemontreal.canoe.ca...ational/archives/2011/02/20110226-150336.html

INFILTRATING THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY

An Incursion into a Little-Known Universe

Le Journal de Montréal

Saturday, Februry 26, 2011

MONTREAL - Two female collaborators of the "JE" program volunteered to infiltrate the Church of Scientology of Montreal. One of them describes her experience.

Religious cults have always intrigued me. When the "JE" team decided to do a report on the Church of Scientology, the idea of infiltrating it with a hidden camera immediately appealed to me. In fact, this mission was tailor-made for me. This is how my colleague and I entered into the Scientology universe.

What struck us the most, when we visited the building on Papineau Street in Montreal for the first time, was the human warmth. People are immediately welcomed with open arms and the good humor of the Scientologists is contagious. But this good humor is anything but free.

In just a few minutes, you get caught in what looks like a vast infomercial. An introductory video, a personality test, personal growth courses, books, all for one single purpose: to make money. Because, from my perspective, that's the philosophy of the Church of Scientology: to take your money by promising a better life.

We chose a course for beginners, "Success Through Communication". This course allowed us to gain access to the academy, the church's classroom, and to film other students without their knowledge.

They students were going about their exercises, for example touching objects, representing various events with clay, or listening to the words of L. Ron Hubbard in an audio conference. After a series of exercises that I find both absurd and useless, we became new course graduates and members of the church for six months! Cost of the course Cost: $65.

We then decided to go further, so we registered for the Dianetics Seminar, an intensive weekend session to learn about auditing, a technique that involves re-experiencing difficult moments of our lives and reliving painful emotions.

It was a grueling 24-hour exercise. We were sitting on an upright chair under the constant supervision of our supervisor. We filmed the session with the hidden camera. We were particularly moved by a ten-year-old girl who was telling stories and weeping and who looked as though she had been cast into this environment unwillingly. Cost of the training session: $125.

We then attended a fundraiser for the church, to finance the renovation of their new center, the building that was the former home of the La Patrie newspaper in downtown Montreal. This was, in Scientology jargon, an "event", where patriotic speeches and tributes to the founder are interspersed with calls for donations.

The atmosphere was overheated and the master of ceremonies managed to squeeze $17,000 out of the fifty members who were present, some with their children. We were asked to give $1,000, no less! As new members, we were the center of attention.

Filming video without getting caught is perilous. During the evening, two persons strongly encouraged us to move up to the next level, the Purification Rundown. This is a crucial step for a Scientologist and, in addition to purifying him, it relieves him of $1,500.
 
Thank you, mnql1! :D

I don't usually have larcenous tendencies, but I have to say, Capt. Koolaide, that some dark night I am going to mug you for your cute avatar!!!! That darling baby red squirrel is adorabibble! :happydance: Oh I love cute squirrel avatars, we should form a club!

Now I have to go off and contend with my avatar envy!!! :grouch:
 

Intelligence

Silver Meritorious Patron
Next segment airs in a few minutes (in French - wish I spoke French). Thanks mnql1!!! I know this is a huge job for you. BRAVO:happydance:

These segments will be followed by more Political interest. Much more. I had a member of the Canada Parliament from a Western Canada riding contact me a few days ago. This one has power, with clout. I guess it does pay to vote,..., LOL.

Montreal Anonymous had a lot to do with this TV Show and I commend them for a job well done.:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:
 

Intelligence

Silver Meritorious Patron
Are there any links to the clips with English subtitles? Let me know when, I want to see it! This is a great story!:omg:

Yes, this is a GREAT story and will have rippling effects right accross Canada and hopefully,..., eventually into the USA.

The English sub-tittles are being worked on by mnql1 and will take a few days.

As soon as they are done, (no pressure mnql1), we will be adding these videos to few more we have, and sending them off to three Politicians who have taken a big interest. I have met with two. One Canada Senator and a Provincial Minister of Health. Now we have a Member of the Canada Parliament.

This is very awesome indeed.

.
 

Intelligence

Silver Meritorious Patron
Thank You TVA - The Expose the Cult Channel :)

We WILL use your show and take it to our Citizen's Representatives in Government:happydance::happydance::happydance:

28bz3bn.jpg
 

Intelligence

Silver Meritorious Patron
Watching the last TV segment right now. DM is taking a shit kikking! They are airing the part down in Florida. I can't understand much of the French, but they mention the FBI, Exploitation, etc, etc...........
 

Intelligence

Silver Meritorious Patron
They just threatened to call the Police on the French Canadian Reporter trying to do an interview. These Reporters turned over a lot of rocks
to do this expose. Lots of unhappy "Cock A Roches",...,scurrying for safety.......
 
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