The Truckers Convoy is About Freedom

Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

I’ve had some highs and lows in the last week. For one, I attended my first protest to support the movement of removing vaccine mandates across Canada. It was a mostly positive experience. We had 30 people there all supporting the same idea: Let’s let Canadian choose if they should receive the currently available vaccines or not. The vaccines which we know don’t stop the transmission of the virus. We are fighting for an obvious and non-controversial idea. The vaccine mandates at this point are only supported by the idea that they reduce the severity of the disease in people.

The protest was a great experience, but it came with some lows. We got our fair share of “F&^$ You” and seen plenty of middle fingers.

Even if I agreed 100% with the utility or benefits of the vaccines, I would still support the idea of letting people make their own good of bad decisions. Obviously, some people still think that the idea of freedom to make good or bad decisions is not acceptable. They literally hate people who have that view.  

I’ve never had an interest in riding a motorcycle and understand the incredible risk of injury (compared to driving in a car) that people undertake when they decide to ride one. But if the government ever decided to make motorcycle drivers ineligible to enter restaurants or have a job because of that choice, I would be fighting for them as well. Because I’m Canadian. I believe in the National Anthem I was taught to recite every morning of my childhood.

Maybe we all need a reminder of what some of those lyrics say and ask yourself if you actually still believe them:

“The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free!“

Now think of where we are in 2022. We now live in a country where espousing the word freedom or making a sign that says freedom is somehow associated with racism, selfishness.

I’m sorry for engaging in conspiracy theories, but this is a ploy. The media and politicians have strategically linked any protesters to the mandates and policies they support as extremists. They do this because it is an easy way to discourage others from joining them. Why would anyone want to be associated with an extremist group?

Just look at the news this week. As the trucker’s convoy has surpassed over $5M in donations and is estimated to bring up to 50,000 trucks to Ottawa this weekend, the media has started to see a legitimate threat to the narrative they have been pushing for 6 months. The narrative that most Canadians hate the unvaccinated. That we should all blame them for our problems, and they deserve no sympathy or relaxation of rules. They have scoured Facebook groups and Twitter conversations where millions of Canadians are showing support for this convoy and will undoubtedly find one inappropriate comment. With this needle in a haystack, they will write stories such as: “Far-Right Group Spearheading Protests” or “Experts Worry of January 6 Style Insurrection In Canada”.

These tactics are grotesque, but they work… How many people will watch the 6 o’clock news and then be terrified to associate with an apparent “far-right group”?

If you truly believe that one or two bad comments should paint an entire movement, then let’s consider the flipside. My wife shared some photos and posts of us attending a “freedom protest” this past weekend on social media. This isn’t the first time we post counter-narrative content and we have been subject to a lot of hate because of it. But here is just one example of a comment we received from a “pro-vaccine, pro-vaccine-mandate” person.

This comment is calling for unvaccinated people “being put down”. It doesn’t just have hate-filled undertones. It is explicitly calling for the elimination of a certain group of individuals. This isn’t an isolated incident. There are thousands of comments such as these all over Facebook and Twitter everyday. Comments from “Pro-Vaccine-Mandate” individuals. People who support that cause.

So why hasn’t CTV News written any articles saying “Pro-Vaccine Groups Linked to Individuals with Genocidal Intentions” or “Experts Worry that Pro-Vaccine Groups are Spreading Hatred”.

Will Facebook or Twitter delete such post? No

The Truckers are coming. They will be peaceful. What they are asking for is not unreasonable. Regardless of what the media says. Regardless of what your social circle thinks. All they want is the ability to work. Even if they don’t make the health choice the government wants them to make. A choice that doesn’t seem to have any bearing on containing the virus.

You can either be on the right side of history that simply wants to let people make their own health choice. Or you can look back in 20 years and say you were too cowardly to stand outside the crowd and support what you knew was right.

Let’s embrace freedom once again. Let’s not discount it. Let’s not let others claim it’s a privilege. If you don’t stand up for people’s right to make good or bad choices, who will stand up for your right if ever you don’t make the acceptable one?