There are few things that warm the cockles of my heart in this dystopian world, but the convoy of Canadian truckers in the snow has made me both smile and want to cry at the same time.
Freedom Convoy 2022 was organised as a way for trucking companies, truck drivers and Canadians to take a position against mandatory vaccines for truck drivers. This video was shot along the Trans-Canada Highway.
The requirement for all truckers to be vaccinated is to exempt them from having to isolate for 2 weeks on returning from the USA.
Understandably, the truckers are unhappy about that. Truck drivers have just about the loneliest job in the world, spending literally hours on end on their own in their cabs. The chances of them catching the virus are relatively low and the chances of passing it on to numerous others is equally low. If you realise that one of the reasons for the truck driver shortage is because truckers would like to spend their nights at home, it shows what a lonely life it can be. But when you remember that vaccination is no guarantee against catching the virus, it proves what a nonsense it all is. They may well find themselves spending 2 weeks in isolation anyway.
So the truckers have taken to the roads of British Columbia in droves. Apparently, the convoy was 100 kilometres long at some points.
I wouldn’t mess with these guys.
What I love is all the Canadian flags being waved along the way. Some vehicles have flags blazing. It shows something important. Those people are waving the flag of their country… and they do not see a despotic government as part of their country at all. The government does not represent them. The government is against the people, and the people of Canada are the country of Canada… and that applies to New Zealand as well.
The Canadian media are blaming the empty supermarket shelves on the protest, without giving a thought to the fact that the shortages will be much worse if the truckers are forced to isolate for 2 weeks every time they return from the USA. But, as usual, the media will not let the facts get in the way of a good story. In spite of all of that, the convoy seems to have huge public support and people are turning out in droves, in the freezing Canadian winter.
And that is the upside of social media. We don’t need to worry about blackouts from the mainstream media. Anyone can post anything for all the world to see.
In the meantime, Justin Trudeau has come out and said that these are part of a ‘fringe minority’ and they do not represent most Canadians. Funny… someone closer to home said the same thing about our protests.
Hmmm. That is some fringe you’ve got there.
When I see things like this, it gives me hope. Don’t get me wrong – we have had excellent protests in New Zealand too, but they often deliver mixed messages on which the media can pounce to discredit the protesters as part of a disorganised rabble. People turning up to anti-lockdown and Groundswell rallies waving Trump flags just muddy the waters and give the media the excuse they need to write off the protests as part of a ‘fringe minority’. No such confusion with the Canadian truckers. They have one message, and they are taking it to Ottawa and the prime minister.
And if it brings the tune of a certain American song to mind, forget it. These lads have got a theme song of their own.
All we want is the freedom to live our lives – from the freezing cold of Canada to the hot summer of New Zealand, the people want to be free. Why can we not have that?
God bless the Canadian truckies. You have given me hope when I thought there was none left.