By G. Ray Gompf, CD
The first thing I need to say about “the convoy” is that it was not a truckers’ convoy. Yes, it had truckers in its midst and truckers no doubt offered a lot of logistical advice, but this was a people’s convoy.
One thing that bothers me is, the government spinning, falsely identifying, and pro-offering misleading reasons for the unrest and truckers are being used for political purposes by both sides. Those being used are willingly participating, but all truckers working for decades at trying to have governments hear and understand trucker issues are being unwarrantedly tarred with the “convoy” brush and any semblance of respectability with governments has been lost whether or not there was support for the convoy.
The CTA and the Provincial Trucking Associations were quick to disassociate themselves from the movement, but these bodies truly are not the “only” credible voice of the trucking industry. There are another 16,500 or so small business trucking companies that are left out of that representation. In fact, the CTA and Provincial Trucking Associations often work against those 16,500 and those 16,500 are not allowed to organize to become heard. It’s truly a situation of the tail wagging the dog. But the CTA et al play well, with a biased media paid well, to promote the government story at the expense of the rest.
That being said, was this people’s convoy justified? Was the people’s convoy successful? I would offer a resounding yes to both. Justified in as much as the Federal Government had grossly overstepped administrative governing and were far too close to dictatorship. The Federal Government had stopped listening to the people and were telling people what they would do under the premise of “it’s good for you”. It matters not the reason the government was forcing issues; it matters the word “force” was being invoked. And, it’s not like the protesters, like Canadians of all walks of life, weren’t already 90% vaccinated. It was about unnecessary steps being added to the border crossing experience. In the case of truckers, it was that extra unnecessary step that exacerbated an already onerous unpaid experience. For the most part, truckers are paid only when wheels turn. Not only that, but this unpaid time is also then deducted from the available time to make money miles. But the government refused to listen to reason, and this small extra step became the hill on which to die.
Instead of listening to grievances — of which there are many — the government redoubled its effort to bully the people. If the government had instead chosen to truly listen and understand what was causing this unrest and met with organizers face to face, and honestly negotiated a satisfactory conclusion, the convoy would not have even left the west coast. The movement that developed which became the Freedom Convoy on route, wouldn’t have become a national event with worldwide coverage. It was a result of the Federal Government’s failure to properly react to a few disgruntled people who had a point that became a movement of many millions. I dare say a majority of people saw that opportunity to let a government out of control with power and our money know there was massive discontent.
So many times, during the fray, which as I write is still very much well underway, the government and their minions have said this protest is undemocratic. Well, quite the opposite. In 1215, the people, fed up with King John’s bullying stood up and forced the King to sign the Magna Carta on which our constitution and rights and freedoms of today, in Canada, is based. It’s democratic when the people take back an out-of-control government that’s pushing tyranny.
Democracy according to the government elites involves creating hate and discontent by dividing peoples by race, by sex, by sexual orientation, by religion, by ethnicity, by old stock/new stock, by occupation, by eye colour, by any measure possible to create division and then convince people they’re not inclusive. And when anyone challenges what the elite tells us we are, then they call us evil names and make us too unworthy to exist. It’s a playbook as old as man himself. Yet, the masses that believe the government operates in the best interest of the people are being lead like the bull with the ring in his nose.
The freedom convoy removed the ring in the bull’s nose and the government just had to put it back before the bull realized the ring was gone.
The government elite will not relinquish power any more easily than did King John, but we simply need the Freedom Convoy to force the elite to sign our Magna Carta and take back our country.
Now for those of you who heard and believed this convoy was an insurrection, that Ottawa was under siege those were the words used by government, not Ottawans. Yes, 12 blocks around the government precinct were pretty much being taken up by the protester’s vehicles but factually there was a lane open for emergency vehicles. Yes, the protesters were loud, and horns blared incessantly. Yes, protesters did dress Terry Fox’s monument with a hat, a flag and a sign but it was not defaced; in fact, it was cleaned and polished by protesters.
No, the protesters did not desecrate the national war memorial or dance on the tomb of the unknown soldier but when it happened by agitators designed to make the protesters look bad, the protesters did set up a security detail to protect those sacred sites and maintained the security.
The Rideau Centre, an enormous mall was reportedly threatened and not by protesters, and management closed the mall for, as I write, now 15 days. The Shepherds of Good Hope, a soup kitchen for the homeless was raided by goons but blamed on the protesters. Protesters ensured the food was more than replaced and organized a fund raiser collecting more than $750,000 to help Shepherds of Good Hope with their work. That doesn’t sound like a “fringe minority” as the Prime Minister called them.
What other protest have we seen, in the past century or so, where the protesters did a major cleanup sweep of the area, and beyond, assigned by police to them? This is a first for me in the 75 years to which I can speak.
Now will the government(s) end this protest with violence and an over-abundance of muscle might? There is no question in the minds of both participating protesters and those who raised, the now confiscated, $10 million raised to support the convoy, when all it would have taken is for someone at the seat of power to simply listen.
We can’t forget the City of Ottawa intends on suing organizers for $9.6 million dollars. Isn’t it funny that figure represents the exact amount confiscated from GoFundMe?
It really makes one wonder who the bad people are, when our federal government has been proven in legal proceedings to be on the verge of corruption, but that itself is another issue.
As Voltaire said: It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.
