I was today years old when I learned the Canadian Truckers Protest took names and kicked gas

Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP

In late January of 2022, at the height of the vaccine mandate madness, with both the U.S. and Canada facing severe supply issues, there were stringent additional new Canadian border crossing regulations for international truckers imposed.

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The federal government says it will not back down on its vaccination rule for cross-border truckers despite entrenched opposition from some drivers and groups claiming to represent their interests.

…The mandate, which took effect on Jan. 15, states that all Canadian cross-border essential workers — including truckers — must show proof of vaccination at a port of entry to avoid stringent testing requirements and quarantine.

…While the CTA said the vast majority of truckers are fully vaccinated, it warned that anywhere from 12,000 to 16,000 Canadian cross-border commercial drivers — roughly 10 to 15 per cent of all truckers who regularly cross the Canada-U.S. boundary — could be sidelined by the federal mandate.

Canadian truckers organized a protest in the face of intrenched government bureaucracy. They would form a convoy and drive their big rigs to the capital of Ottawa for a two day protest.

Lines of trucks continued to roll into Ottawa, Canada, on Saturday afternoon, January 29, to join a convoy of truckers protesting outside parliament against COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border travel.

The main convoy set off from British Columbia on Sunday, January 23, and arrived in Ottawa on Friday ahead of a two-day protest scheduled in the city for Saturday and Sunday. Ottawa Police told downtown residents to “expect delays and major traffic disruptions.”

As increasing numbers of vehicles tried to reach Ottawa’s downtown area through the day, police began directing traffic away “to mitigate road safety issues” and asked that people do not travel the center of the city, according to Storyful.

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The visuals, in the brutal cold and brilliant winter white, were absolutely stunning. It became more than just a vaccine mandate protest – it became a freedom statement.

The numbers and popularity grew – with terrifying sentiments expressed openly, like, “I want my Canada back.”

And, as the massive convoy moved into Ottawa proper, a spooked Trudeau government came down hard and fast on the burgeoning Freedom Convoy. Arrests, confiscations of rigs, seizures of private bank accounts, and the invocation of emergency powers for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were just some of the actions taken and threatened. The list of every dictatorial power needed to crush the rebellion was checked off and handed to the black-faced boy in the white turban.

Considering how bedeviled Trudeau had been by the honest reporting of independent journalists like Ezra Levant and his Rebel News – as opposed to the toe-sucking CBC regime media – he made sure to shut them down, too.

So, as far as we all knew in the U.S., the Canadian truckers had had a glorious run across the wilderness, and a bold stand for freedom and self-determination that lasted about 3 weeks before being ruthlessly crushed by the forces of the state wielded power and the ideologues who control it.

Trudeau won an election after that. How does THAT happen in a “free” society?

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Then, today, I read absolutely the most heartening tweet I’ve read in a long time.

Yes, the truckers, made their mark. But it turns out, they LEFT A MARK, too (Excerpted below).

I knew none of this as it is definitely not the impression we were left with…

…What people don’t remember is what happened in the immediate aftermath: The government caved on absolutely everything within a week for the most important things, and then a month or so for the rest.

First off there was the massive political shift that happened as the convoy was occurring:

Jason Kenny, the pro-lockdown Premiere of Alberta (Canada’s most conservative province) was forced to announce his resignation, and Alberta immediately lifted all its lockdown impositions.

Erin O’toole the pro lockdown leader of the conservaitve party was likewise forced to resign, his temporary replacement Candice Bergen (not to be mistaken with the actress) being a longtime rival opposed to lockdowns, and his main rival who replaced her after party elections was
@PierrePoilievre, the Politician after @MaximeBernier who was quickest to embrace the Truckers and their cry for freedom.

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There’s an absolutely fascinating explanation of the way the Canadian Senate works – did you know they’re appointed and for life/75 years old? Neither did I.

These lifetime appointee senate “roaches” (as she calls them – love it) were also the final sign off on Trudeau’s Emergencies Act before it could become law. But they smelled political blood in the water.

…Did they have some principled stand on civil liberties grounds? Absolutely not.

They had a principled objection that they weren’t being treated as more important!

Sure they’d consider signing off on Trudeau’s abuses, but they wanted an ongoing senate committee to continuously review the abuses, with cabinet level briefings for the committee members, regular pressers, inclusion on the forming of policy… Juicy Juicy INFLUENCE.

With mere hours left to the deadline and no passage in sight… Trudeau voluntarily withdrew the act.

Never did we hear about that after the brouhaha when he invoked because of the “threat” the truckers’ protest presented to “democracy/LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.” How did this detail slip by our news?

Even the dire threats of the finance minister to hunt down and prosecute donors to the convoy fell apart! It never happened! I distinctly also remember being flabbergasted that the Trudeau government was going so Medieval as to wallop someone who sent a fiver to a trucker. But they didn’t and, again, we were never updated that the authoritarian state had been foiled in their punitive money grab.

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This is so delightful.

… WITHIN 1 month the trucker convoy had effected a hostile overthrow of the Governments of Alberta and the official opposition, the Conservative party of Canada, from pro to anti- lockdown, and crushed the moderate wing of the conservative movement.

At Multiple points Trudeau was nearly forced out by his own party and his government was humiliated with most pof its percieved power destroyed, it now exists as a rump failing to pass gun control bills (IN CANADA!) against moderate opposition.

Within 2-4 months all domestic restrictions were gone and within 8 months even the pantomime of international restrictions didn’t exist, Canada had fewer covid restrictions than the US.

…And all the actual action took place in 1 month, on the coldest days of the year, with a movement who’s key members had to drive 4000-5000km (~3000 miles) along treacherous northern roads being greeted roadside by supporters who stood out in minus 40 to give them coffee food and support.

All I can say is “BEAUTIFUL.”

Now that his days as a dictator wanna-be have been truncated, Justin can go back to doing the brain-dead, virtue signaling things he does best.

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I love happy endings.

10-4, good buddies.

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Ed Morrissey 12:40 PM | November 21, 2024
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