The Reality of the Trucker Protest in Canada

The protest began with truckers from all across Canada forming the Freedom Convoy 2022, to protest mandates and ever increasing restrictions on personal freedoms and charter rights. The final straw was the federal mandate imposed by the government requiring all truck drivers who cross the US Canada border to be fully vaccinated or be quarantined upon their return to Canada.

Many believed this was overstepping the the rights of freedom of movement granted by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed to all Canadians and that it posed a threat to their ability to earn a living. It was also viewed as a measure of forced compliance for a few of their members who chose not to take a vaccine that is still under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) only, when increasing evidence shows the vaccines efficacy is waning. There was also no consideration for anyone who had previously contracted the virus and recovered.

Further outrage ensued when the Minister of Transportation suggested the mandate may be expanded to include interprovincial transport. Truckers both vaccinated and unvaccinated decided to take their protest to Ottawa to have their concerns heard.

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, instead of agreeing to listen to their concerns, labeled these people a "fringe minority with unacceptable views". His comments were heard across Canada and around the world, resulting in even more outraged Canadians joining in the protest.

Unfortunately for residents of Ottawa, they find themselves in the middle of an everexpanding protest creating a strain on daily lives. The media have siezed on this as justification for demanding an end to the protest, whether by force or arrest. Something they did not demand during the BLM protests that had ensued in previous years.

Despite what the media and officials say,there have been no arrests other than for two arrests for minor infractions and no damage to public property.

The media is also exagerating the bad behaviour of a few of the people and ignoring the reality of what is really happening at the protests.

To that end we provide an interesting view from one of the residents. We hope you will take time to read a perspective not being expressed in the daily news coverage in Canada.

I live in downtown Ottawa, right in the middle of the trucker convoy protest. They are literally camped out below my bedroom window. My new neighbours moved in on Friday and they seem determined to stay. I have read a lot about what my new neighbours are supposedly like, mostly from reporters and columnists who write from distant vantage points somewhere in the media heartland of Canada. Apparently the people who inhabit the patch of asphalt next to my bedroom are white supremacists, racists, hatemongers, pseudo-Trumpian grifters, and even QAnon-style nutters. I have a perfect view down Kent Street – the absolute ground zero of the convoy. In the morning, I see some protesters emerge from their trucks to stretch their legs, but mostly throughout the day they remain in their cabs honking their horns. At night I see small groups huddled in quiet conversations in their new found companionship. There is no honking at night. What I haven’t noticed, not even once, are reporters from any of Canada’s news agencies walking among the trucks to find out who these people are. So last night, I decided to do just that – I introduced myself to my new neighbours.

Read his story here