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The Niagara Independent, January 28, 2022 \u2013<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cA propogandist\u2019s purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.\u201d<\/i> \u2013 Aldous Huxley\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n The eyes of the world are now watching Canada\u2019s Freedom Convoy. It is a full-blown international story. Canadian truckers have set a new Guinness World Record for the longest convoy stretching an estimated 100 kilometers in length. The western Canadian convoy is being joined by parades of thousands of rigs \u2013 coming east from the Maritimes and south from throughout the United States.<\/p>\n The protest convoy was sparked by the truckers\u2019 dispute with the introduction of a vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers \u2013 a move that will worsen the current shortages of drivers. At its core, it is a grievance against vaccine mandates and<\/i> public health and government restrictions that curb individuals\u2019 civil liberties. The convoy organizers intend for a peaceful and law-abiding demonstration that will plug the highways in and around the Nation\u2019s Capital and will conclude with a rally near Parliament Hill.<\/p>\n A group called \u201cCanada Unity\u201d has worked alongside the truckers to compile a set of demands to present to the government. A posted \u201cmemorandum of understanding\u201d on its website calls for all levels of Canadian government to stop the use of vaccine passports, waive fines linked to COVID-19, and reinstate employees who were fired for breaking COVID-19 rules. It identifies government restrictions and mandates as \u201cunconstitutional, discriminatory and segregating.\u201d<\/p>\n James Bauder, founder of the Canada Unity Foundation, asserts, \u201cThis is not about the vaccine, by the way\u2026It\u2019s about the mandate\u2026We\u2019re done with mandates.\u201d<\/p>\n The trucks pulled out of Prince Rupert and Vancouver on the weekend. With the news of the convoy rolling down the open prairie highways, it caught the attention of a global audience. Then somewhere in the cold of Saskatchewan, or perhaps it was in Manitoba, the truckers\u2019 journey captured Canadians\u2019 frustrations and angst over the prolonged pandemic, and it spoke directly to their distrust of the governments\u2019 overreach.<\/p>\n Canadians\u2019 admiration for the truckers is remarkable by any stretch of the imagination. Tens of thousands of Canadians line highways and overpasses to cheer and wave signs, personal vehicles have joined the trek to Ottawa, and #FreedomConvoy2022 is consistently trending on social media. Since Monday the Freedom Convoy Facebook page has attracted over 726,000 followers, its Instagram page more than 245,000. In four days, the Freedom Convoy\u2019s GoFundMe page has had more than 83,000 donors give more than $6.5 million to help with fuel, food, and accommodations for the truckers.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in responding to this outpouring of support for the truckers, was quick to dismiss the truckers and their supporters as \u201csmall fringe minority\u201d holding \u201cunacceptable views\u201d that do not represent the \u201cviews of Canadians.\u201d He stated he would not lift the vaccine mandate, suggested that the convoy was led by anti-vaxxers and urged those truckers to get vaccinated so that Canadians can \u201cget back to the things we love to do.\u201d<\/p>\n The PM\u2019s arrogance in that Wednesday media session was perhaps best summed up by journalist Alan Fryer, the former news reporter for CTV National and W5, who tweeted: \u201cTrudeau doubles down on the divisive rhetoric. A true leader would acknowledge the frustration and disappointment most Canadians are feeling today and urge neighbours to reach out to those they disagree with. Not vilify them. The man is incapable of putting partisanship aside.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin Trudeau was calculated in addressing the media, confident that his political backroom operatives were spinning in overdrive to win the public opinion war.<\/p>\n It began with Gerald Butts\u2019 weekend tweets suggesting possible misappropriation of funds by convoy organizers. The Trudeau Liberal cabal was intent on casting doubt and stirring up mischief. Character assassination and undermining causes are rote for these politicos:<\/p>\n In 72 hours, the Trudeau Liberals have pitted Canadians against themselves, spinning that the protest is \u201canti-vaccine,\u201d dangerous and potentially violent. The government narrative was amplified by its subsidized mainstream media. The Toronto Star<\/i> editorial team suggests, \u201cTruckers are flirting with extremists. They should call off their protest.\u201d One Global News<\/i> headline screamed: \u201cFar-right groups hope trucker protest will be Canada\u2019s \u201cJanuary 6th.\u201d<\/p>\n In social media, Liberals were also in attack mode and two such attacks warrant special mention. First, pollster Frank Graves made his views known early in the week with the tweet: \u201cImagining a Canada where a tiny minority of retrogressive intolerant morons doing some pathetic twisted outtake of Convoy are being celebrated by media and former official opposition leader. These imbeciles are lying squarely in the path to safety and renewal. I weep.\u201d<\/p>\n The prize for bile goes to Penny Collenette, otherwise known to Liberals as \u201cthe Queen of Patronage\u201d after her PMO stint doling out hundreds of appointments for PM Jean Chretien. In a series of tweets, Collenette highlighted comments that miscast the convoy as a Canadian insurrection: \u201cAssault on Parliament Hill. That\u2019s enough. That\u2019s it. Moan about the loss of your damn freedom from vaccination while putting the rest of us at risk but how dare you gaslight an attack on Canadian democracy. Crawl back under a hole. Stay there.\u201d<\/p>\n This unsolicited, ugly rhetoric is driving a wedge of mistrust and intolerance between the truckers and their supporters, and those who are informed by mainstream media and the PM\u2019s pulpit. In fact, all the press conferences and news headlines from Ottawa this week have succeeded in one thing: they have divided Canadians.<\/p>\n Still the trucks continue to push on towards Ottawa. And let the last word be one of hope.<\/p>\n Niagara West MP Dean Allison witnessed the crowds gather Thursday on the QEW overpasses to pay tribute to the Freedom Convoy. Allison observes, \u201cIt is amazing to see the thousands of people \u2013 moms, dads, youth \u2013 out on the side of the road cheering on our truckers.\u00a0No doubt, truckers have been our heroes working hard through the last two years. They are heading to Ottawa to protest the massive government overreach we have seen grow continuously, eroding our civil rights. When the prime minister and legacy media says this protest is only a small fringe group, they are deliberately misleading Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed. Move over Aldous Huxley. Roll on Freedom Convoy.<\/p>\n Chris George<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is an Ottawa-based government affairs advisor and wordsmith, president of\u00a0CG&A COMMUNICATIONS<\/a>. Contact:\u00a0ChrisG.George@gmail.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n