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LETTER: 'Go home, truckers and all of those supporting this travesty'

Convoy is 'not helping anyone by threatening our democracy, by corrupting the idea of freedom, or by pretending there is no threat from this pandemic,' says letter writer
Freedom Convoy Orillia 1-28-22 9
Protesters who gathered at the Orillia Square mall in January were supporting the Freedom Convoy and many held signs calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign.

MidlandToday welcomes letters to the editor ([email protected]). This letter is an open letter to the 'Freedom Convoy' and their supporters.
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The current actions by a small group of Canadian truckers include an “occupation” in Ottawa, a blockade of cross-border traffic in Coutts, Alberta, and various demonstrations across the country taking place in support of the Ottawa demonstration.

I say “a small group” since, even if there are several thousand people and several hundred trucks in Ottawa, 90% of truckers in Canada have accepted the mandates. Further, given that the population of Canada is some 36 million people, this is indeed a small group, but they’re making a lot of noise, disruption, and present a disturbing aspect of our current political and health scene.

My request? “Go home, truckers and go home, all of those who are supporting this travesty.”

My reasons for asking the “Freedom Convoy” to cease its activities in Canada are as follows:

  1. Their demand that the Prime Minister step down and their attempt to intimidate our Canadian politicians by establishing a threatening presence outside our Parliament Buildings in Ottawa signals both a lawlessness and a disrespect for our democracy, both of which are dangerous to our country’s way of life.
  2. Their slogan of “Freedom” is a complete misunderstanding of the nature of “freedom” in a democracy like Canada or, indeed, most countries of the world.
  3. Their demand that “all mandates be ended” flies in the face of logic and the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and threatens not only the health and welfare of thousands of Canadians but the future of our economy and social health.

Let me expand on each of these points in more detail.

1. We live in a representative democracy.  We elect our governments from time to time, and though I personally think our current electoral system is seriously flawed the current Liberal government did win the right to govern this country just last year.

The Canadian Liberal government is therefore a legitimate one and Justin Trudeau as the leader of that party is the legitimate Prime Minister and head of our Canadian government.

Yet one of the demands of this “Freedom Convoy” group is that he resign as PM.

Who do these people think they are? A small group of people threatening to continue disrupting our Parliament and the city it is in — and with the aim of changing the government? Sounds like a coup, though thankfully it has not involved guns and violence, yet! Using fear and intimidation to try to influence government policies is a significant danger to the workings of our democracy.

And it must not be tolerated. It must not be supported. Not while we want to live in a democracy called Canada.

So go home, truckers. In the next election, cast your ballot and vote for whomever you want, because that is how we change governments and policies in Canada, not doing what you’re doing now.

2. The occupiers in Ottawa are demanding an end to all “mandates” that various governments across Canada have implemented to combat the current pandemic. They claim these mandates restrict their “freedom!”

Contrary to the claim of the truckers and their supporters, freedom does NOT mean “doing anything you want to do.” “Anarchy” is the word to describe such a state, one in which there are no rules, no one in charge, where power belongs to the strongest (the one with the biggest truck?) and most people live in fear of their homes and families. No one in their right mind would want anarchy as the state of things in Canada.

“Freedom” has a twin. It’s called “responsibility.”  To enjoy freedom as we know it, we must take responsibility for our actions and the consequences of those actions. That responsibility includes recognition of the limitations on our freedom, limitations that truckers, above all, should know all about.

What limitations? Consider: you can’t drive a truck in any province in Canada without a trucker’s driving licence. If you own a truck or a trucking company, the truck, too, must be licensed. You also have a legal responsibility to ensure that your trucks are in good working condition, safe to be on the road. 

As a trucker you have limits to the speed you may travel. You may have certain roads you can’t travel on at all. You have limits to the weight of the load you can carry. You have a responsibility to check your vehicle frequently to ensure it remains safe while you’re traveling. By law, you and your passengers must wear a seatbelt. Each one of these laws is a “mandate” to be followed by all.

If, as a trucker, you decide to ignore these limits, there will be consequences. Without such consequences, our roads would see anarchy and death even more than we do now. In essence, in a democracy like ours, your freedom ends when you endanger others.

And limitations like these are found in virtually every other aspect of our lives as citizens in this country. The “freedom” that demonstrators in Ottawa call for — a freedom without limitations — simply doesn’t exist in this country.

So, while there might be “total freedom” on a desert island or in a wilderness where you are living all by yourself, in a civilized society like Canada there are limits on individual freedom and those limits include not endangering other people’s lives, not threatening them for wearing a mask, not defecating on the lawns of Ottawa homeowners and not threatening our elected representatives, regardless of what party they represent and how much you might disagree with them.

So go home, truckers, and be thankful that you live in a country that imposes limits on “total freedom” thereby allowing us to live in a safe and healthy society.

3. Speaking of health, the main goal of the “Freedom Convoy” is to end all COVID-19 mandates. This demand seems to have come in response to the demand, by both Canada and the United States, that cross-border truckers must be vaccinated. Since some 90% of truckers say they are vaccinated, clearly this mandate has been seen as reasonable by most.

When did the Ottawa truckers and their supporters become health experts? What is it that these truckers and their supporters don’t understand about this pandemic?

In two years, 3.11 million Canadians have had some variant of COVID-19. Over 34,000 Canadians have died, leaving families and loved ones behind. Ontario has seen over 1.05 million cases and almost 12,000 deaths. The demands of treating the severe cases have exhausted our medical people, prevented treatment of other diseases, and cost billions of dollars.

Ontario, in January, 2022, saw the third highest monthly number of deaths over the two years of the pandemic. It’s not over yet, though the number of cases seems to be dropping in the past week or so, but drop mandates and see more cases, more deaths? Are we crazy? We’re not talking statistics here.  We’re talking about people — real people, and many, if not most, are dying alone without family around them. Is this what we want to continue?

What weapons have emerged to protect us against this pandemic? Number one? Vaccinations. Over 30 million people in Canada have chosen to be vaccinated. The medical reasons for being unable to be vaccinated are few — the number of people who should not get the jab almost infinitesimal. If all of us were vaccinated, COVID would be confined to a mostly mild sickness. Chances of new variants would likely also decrease.

Number two weapon? Masks. Again, while a small group of people might be unable to wear masks, the vast number of people can. Wearing them while Omicron is raging makes sense, to protect yourself and to protect those you meet, live and work with. 

Number three weapon? Restricting the numbers of people that can gather together. During the Black Plague in Europe, doors of houses where the people had the plague were often nailed shut to prevent them getting out and spreading the disease. We’re not doing that today—just asking people to limit their contacts, please. It’s really not too much to ask, especially just when a return to more normal living might be in sight.

Throw all of these cautions out immediately, as demanded by the Ottawa group? Madness.

The mandate conditions have been imposed for the same reason we have laws that govern the way we drive on our highways—truckers or not.  They are an attempt to prevent anarchy and death.

Go home, truckers. If you’re not vaccinated, stop on the way to get the jab (twice, with a booster). Then go back to doing your job keeping our economy running.

You’re not helping anyone by threatening our democracy, by corrupting the idea of “freedom,” or by pretending there is no threat from this pandemic.

Go home. Please.

Fred Larsen
Orillia

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