As the truckers’ protest in Ottawa enters its third week, Canadian lawmakers are beginning to feel the pain. While some snarl traffic in the capital, other vehicles have blocked three U.S.-border crossings, including the busiest — Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. Earlier today, protestors opened one lane to Canada-bound traffic, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency anyway. For protestors who don’t return home, “there will be consequences, and they will be severe,” Ford threatened — up to $100,000 and a year in prison.
The protest began with 150,000 trucks around Ottawa, Albertan long-hauler Tim Norton informed “Washington Watch” viewers from his cab. “People from all over Canada” joined the truckers for the weekend to form a throng of 2.4 million (6 percent of Canada’s population). Officials “thought they’d maybe get us out of here before the weekend because, on the weekend, there’s going to be another two million people here again.” But truckers like Norton are prepared to stay “as long as it takes. I’m prepared to sit here for a year.”
Ottawa is learning what occurs when governments push people too far. The Canadian regime mandated all unvaccinated truckers to quarantine for two weeks when they crossed the border — effectively putting them out of work. With nothing to lose, they drove their rigs to Ottawa. “It’s blown up from there to just freedom in general,” said Norton. “The government just basically took over our lives, and it is not a free country anymore.”
It’s not just the truckers who think so. Norton said they’ve received “huge support from the public,” including food. International crowdfunding raised over $10 million in individual donations, first through GoFundMe, and then, through the Christian platform GiveSendGo (GoFundMe called the protest “illegal”). On Thursday, the Canadian Superior Court of Justice froze those donations, claiming the peaceful protest had morphed into an “occupation.” Of course, Left-wing protestors have claimed to “occupy” things ever since Wall Street, but even when they burn and loot the legacy media calls it “mostly peaceful.” GoFundMe even promoted fundraisers for Seattle’s “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” where armed vigilantes evicted police and extorted businesses for protection money.
Embarrassed by the staggering demonstrations, Canadian authorities are trying to end them as soon as possible. “We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags,” bloviated Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has admitted to wearing blackface make-up. “Hate can never be the answer.” Except when it’s the right kind of hate. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki piled on: “We support peaceful protest, but we have concerns when those protests turn violent.” Conservatives were saying exactly the same thing two years ago, but the Left and the media ignored them because those protests advanced their political agenda.
But the truckers aren’t violent. “It’s like a big Canada Day celebration, except not quite as much of a party,” Norton described. “At a party, there’d be a lot of drunks, and there’d be a big mess…. It’s not like that.” The protestors are orderly and peaceful. The streets are clean. “We haven’t had any trouble with the police. And there’s no reason to have any trouble with them because there’s nothing happening.”
The good manners and righteous cause of Canada’s truckers have inspired imitations throughout the West. Countries based on freedom and popular government have stifled freedom and ignored the people since the pandemic began. The people of Canada, the country that never had a “tea party,” have led the way in standing up to say, “enough is enough.” Give us our freedom back. Give us our lives back. The pandemic slavery must end now.
