Queen of Canada documentary director wants you to know her followers are still out there
Director Cristian Gomes, journalist Mack Lamoureux on why their new documentary focuses on Romana's followers
A little over a year ago, the RCMP raided a purple schoolhouse in Saskatchewan that had been taken over by a woman known as the "QAnon Queen of Canada."
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that → want → Canada
It was the fallout of a movement years in the making: a group now widely referred to as a cult led by Romana Didulo — a self-described shapeshifting alien who passed her own "laws" in her self-described "Kingdom of Canada."
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who → refer → Canada
That group has largely disbanded, but its past members remain.
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members → disband → ?
They are the subjects of a new documentary, Queen of Canada, airing on CBC's The Passionate Eye on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
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They → air → Wednesday
Because while the documentary does focus on Didulo's actions, she does not feature as an interview subject.
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she → focus → subject
Instead, director Cristian Gomes centres on those past followers, who both grapple with what they went through but who — in some cases — continue to believe in what they were working toward.
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they → centre → what
CBC News speaks with Gomes and subject Mack Lamoureux, the first journalist to seriously investigate and report on Didulo, about why that is so important.
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that → speak → Didulo
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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interview → edit → length
You speak to a number of people who followed Romana.
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who → speak → Romana
They have since left her, but — as is shown in the documentary — they haven't given up many of their distrustful beliefs around the media and government.
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they → leave → media
Was it hard to get them to talk to you?
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them → get → you
It was difficult to find the voices, only because I'm not a part of the ecosystem that they thrive in.
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they → find → that
But once you join them, once you figure out how to find their voice and engage with them online — like in places like Telegram and other really private chats — it isn't really hard to get them to talk.
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them → join → Telegram
People to whose beliefs, at one point, I responded like 'These views are kind of abhorrent.
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views → respond → point
They're really damaging, and they leak into all facets of society, actually.'
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they → leak → society
They're just people who are really lost and they're being taken advantage of.
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they → lose → advantage
Mack, I'm curious whether your interpretation might fall in line with Cristian's.
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interpretation → fall → Cristian
Do you see this as a wider case study, one that illustrates that widening division within society?
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that → see → society
Mack Lamoureux: I like to consider Romana a harbinger.
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Romana → like → ?
I consider her a glimpse into a possible future that we're not necessarily tied to, but if we don't course-correct we could end up in that way.
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we → consider → way
The disconnect from reality and the damage that her followers had was so extreme — and in many ways scary — that I do think that it's something that we need to try and take steps to fix.
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we → have → steps
The future looks bleak for a lot of people.
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future → look → people
On top of that, you have algorithms which are pushing people down these rabbit holes.
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which → have → holes
You have influencers and media organizations who are all too happy to run with conspiracies if it means that they're going to strengthen their bottom dollar.
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they → have → dollar
All of this adds into a toxic cocktail that can lead people to joining and following people like Romana and completely ruining their lives.
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that → add → lives
The worse life gets for people, the more people are going to find their ways into the arms of bad actors like Romana.
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people → get → Romana
Cult leader Romana Didulo set up a base in a decommissioned school in Richmound, Sask., in 2023.
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Didulo → set → 2023
The moment that stands out to me is when one of your interview subjects says she once told her adult son if he got the COVID-19 vaccine, she would kill herself.
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she → stand → herself
Speaking with you now, it does seem like this could be framed as, 'She feels so isolated, so ignored, that's why she felt she needed to make that statement.'
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she → speak → statement
Was that what you were going for?
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you → go → what
What is fascinating in the film is that the people who are making these statements have been through the process of a radicalization: being a part of a group, and then being disgruntled within that group and leaving it.
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who → make → it
And they still hold their views.
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they → hold → views
And I think that really speaks to how deeply, deeply pushed to the fringes these people are.
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people → think → fringes
They really have been totally put outside of the systems of politics in this country, and any other way they could express themselves.
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they → put → themselves
They have no outlet.
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They → have → outlet
The dynamic between the character you're speaking about and her son is really interesting because her son, although he doesn't agree with all of her views, he found out how to have a relationship with her.
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he → speak → her
And that's a big part of why she was able to leave the group.
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she → leave → group
That happens a lot in high-control groups; having someone on the outside who's just there to listen to you without judgment is what helps a lot of people leave.
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lot → happen → people
- Video
Crown stays charges against self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Canada’
Saskatchewan mayor stepping down now that 'Queen of Canada' cult is gone
Mack, you've reported on cults and terrorist groups for years. How does healing work in that situation?
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healing → stay → situation
For a lot of people, healing isn't a linear path, it's kind of hopping back and forth through these different things.
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it → hop → things
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
