Canada Day in January – A look at what really happened with the Trucker Convoy in Ottawa

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Freedom Convoy: Truckers cause chaos in Ottawa after second day of protests” BBC

“So many angry people’: Experts say online conversation around trucker convoy veering into dangerous territory.” CTV News

Michael de Adder – the political cartoonist for the Washington Post – drew a convoy of tractor-trailers with the word “Fascism” written on the vehicles.

As I read through the many articles written about the trucker convoy, I began to see a disturbing trend; this movement that was meant to unify Canadians, was slowly being picked apart, and categorized as something that it was not. As a researcher, and proud Jamaican-Canadian, I wanted to find out some answers: why was the mainstream media reporting so negatively on this movement, and what had caused such a turn in events? Why was a movement focused on human rights, Canadian human rights now being looked at by some with such disgust?

Mainstream Reports on the Trucker Convoy
For every positive article that I found about this movement, I found five to six that highlighted it in a negative way. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

• The Canadian Trucking Alliance spoke out against the protests in a statement issued 24 hours before a convoy of truckers was set to leave British Columbia en route to Ottawa.
• Ottawa police said, “several criminal investigations” were underway into “threatening” and “illegal” behaviour after monuments including the National War Memorial were defaced and demonstrators displayed “illegal” and “intimidating behavior to police and others, including staff at a soup kitchen for homeless people.
• When one Conservative lawmaker was interviewed on television, a Canadian flag with a swastika drawn on it could be seen in the background. Some protesters brandished Confederate flags.
• Wayne Eyre, chief of Canada’s defence staff, said he was “sickened” by scenes of protesters dancing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and desecrating the National War Memorial.

I will be sharing the other side of the coin later in this article, but I wanted to point out the fact that for some reason, mainstream media seemed to be around when less positive aspects of the movement were occurring, but did not showcase the love, cultural unity, and elation that was on display throughout Ottawa last weekend. They also conveniently did not show all the things that were done purposely to block the convoy and make it difficult for people to protest peacefully.

The Media Buy-out; A Handpicked Few
In its 2019 budget, the federal government rolled out nearly $600 million in subsidies for select media outlets that had obtained the federal government’s approval. Those outlets include: CBC. CBC Radio, TVO, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, National Post, Calgary Herald, Winnipeg Free Press, Vancouver Sun, Toronto Sun, Calgary Sun, Rogers TV, Omni, Global, and CTV.

I want readers to think about this for a minute; does anyone find it suspicious that right around the time of the pandemic, our government bailed out these larger media corporations, yet community papers like Share, Caribbean Camera, Indo-Caribbean and the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper did not see a cent of that money.

It was one of the reasons some Canadian journalists were questioning the federal government’s plan to support some Canadian journalism. By handing nearly $600 million directly to select newspapers, the government wasn’t doing anything new. It just extended the control that it had over other mediums, to traditional mainstream newspapers. The Liberals had set aside nearly $600 million over the course of five years for tax credits and other incentives aimed at propping up struggling news outlets. During that week, they announced an independent panel that would recommend the news operations that were eligible for assistance under the plan.

I want our readers to think about this every time you turn on your television. Our government has bought and paid for these mediums, so be mindful, and know that our government will only allow you to see what they want you to see. This is not a conspiracy theory; this is fact and has been for many years.

Justin Trudeau; Our Fearless Leader
“Over the past few days, Canadians were shocked and frankly disgusted by the behaviour displayed by some people protesting in our nation’s capital.

I want to be very clear: those who hurl insults and abuse at small business workers and steal food from the homeless do not intimidate us. We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags. We won’t cave to those who engage in vandalism or dishonour the memory of our veterans.”

Crises put the true character of a nation and its leader on full display, and the pandemic – both a public-health emergency and an economic catastrophe – is our greatest challenge since the Second World War. Quebec’s Deputy Prime Minister famously congratulated all of us Canadians for our obedience to the lockdown, and like the well-behaved citizens we are, we took the pat on our head, wore our masks, socially distanced ourselves, and stayed home. Obedience is admirable, but can also be a sign of weakness, and it does not form the basis of an entrepreneurial culture.

Throughout this pandemic there has been this uncomfortable realization that Canada’s entrenched interests are adept at using institutional power to resist change and preserve the status quo. Canada’s response to the pandemic helped it contain the virus in the short run, but it is now being seen as a sign of the country’s shortcomings in the long run.

Who do we have to thank for this; our fearless leader Justin Trudeau (who is fully vaccinated and boosted), the same man who told us to trust the science and get our vaccines because they protect us from COVID-19, tested positive and tweeted, “I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m feeling fine, and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines. Everyone please get vaccinated and get boosted.”

This was right before the convoy was to enter Ottawa, which many found suspicious. The story suddenly changed, and on Friday, the Prime Minister told the Canadian Press he was concerned the protest would turn violent, but said the convoy represented a “Small fringe minority” who “Do not represent the views of Canadians.”

Yahoo news reported that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family left their home in Ottawa over safety concerns on Saturday. I thought he had to be isolated because he had COVID-19? He is triple vaccinated, but said he had to be isolated. What happened to trusting science?

Prime Minister Trudeau finally came out of hiding and confirmed that he would not meet with the convoy of protestors. He stated that he had attended protests and rallies in the past, conveniently throwing in Black Lives Matter as an example. He claims that he was choosing not to go anywhere near a protest that expresses hateful rhetoric, violence towards fellow citizens and disrespect to science, frontline health workers, and 90% of the truckers who have done the right thing to keep Canadians safe.

Hateful rhetoric? Violence? Time to take a look on the other side of the coin

“Canadian truckers rule!” Elon Musk

As I drove home from up north last week, I happened to see the crowd at Vaughan Mills, and the many communities littering the overpasses cheering on the truckers. “Go truckers go,” were some of the shouts I heard as I drove by and blew my horn in support.

Starting January 15^th, 2022, unvaccinated Canadian truckers re-entering Canada from the United States were required to get a COVID-19 test and quarantine themselves. The vaccine passport sparked Canadian truckers to engage in this protest against the vaccination order.

Crowds cheered, waved flags and hoisted signs in Ontario on Thursday as parts of a convoy of truckers headed for Ottawa to protest the Canadian government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border drivers. The convoy was peaceful as it passed through Canadian towns and cities, and Ottawa police spoke with organisers, who were cooperative.

People were standing in defiance in a friendly way, not a defiant way. Yet, they were being called racist, and supremacist. When you took a look at the people that were gathered there, they were from all races, cultures, religions, exactly what this great nation is all about.

In a crowd as massive as the one gathered in Ottawa last weekend, you’re going to have differences of background, traditions, and opinions, but there was so much warmth in the frigid cold; there were many different people all passionately agreeing on several key points:

• They agree that the Canadian freedoms that have been eroded by government and public health overreach during the past two years are worth fighting to preserve.
• They agree that the bullying and coercion of those who have made a medical choice, which they are entitled to make as free Canadians, must end immediately.
• They agree that Canadians have a right to hold a job that feeds their family without having to submit to a medical procedure, the safety and effectiveness of which are unknown.
• They agree that children should be left alone and unmasked, and allowed to enjoy their childhoods, as we all did.
• They agree that everything Canada has been built upon, everything that has made Canada a shining beacon among nations must not be discarded and “reset” because of a seasonal virus.

Naturally, there were dissenters, and people who wanted to make trouble, but they did not represent the thousands of peaceful protesters who waved Canadian flags and acted responsibly.

Did you know?

Authorities blocked the roads, and the Province of Nova Scotia were banning people from waving at the convoy from the highway.
A few of the organizers of the truckers’ convoy held their first live press conference, and they banned CBC and Toronto Star from making an appearance for the exact reasons I wrote about at the beginning of this article. In the conference they spoke towards the misinformation that was being broadcast by mainstream media, especially surrounding the fact the GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/f/taking-back-our-freedom-convoy-2022) was taken down. This was not true. As of January 31^st, 2022, the fund was up to 9,344, 010. It is an amazing show of togetherness by our country

The truckers have inspired the World
The protest has caught the attention of people outside Canada’s borders, with podcaster Joe Rogan, Donald Trump Jr – the son of the former US president – and British comedian Russell Brand showing support.

Australian truck drivers are planning a ‘Convoy to Canberra’ to protest Australia’s vaccine mandates and harsh restrictions forced upon communities across the country throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They plan to meet in: Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia before making their way to the nation’s capital.

When it comes to our movement in Canada; well, the intent is actually to stay until all the mandates are dropped. Some people are staying one day, some people are staying five days. Many are staying here until they can go back to work.

The truckers were not triggered; the truckers unleashed this country. The truckers have become the physical manifestation of a peaceful protest. People no longer felt alone.