“Freedom convoy” draws support and criticism

By Sara Beth Dacombe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Niverville Citizen

January 31, 2022

On Tuesday, January 25, crowds gathered at the Centre of Canada Park in the RM of Tache to show their support for a convoy of semi trucks and other vehicles making its way across the country in protest of a federal vaccination mandate for cross-border truckers.

Dubbed the “freedom convoy,” organizers have been trying to gain the attention of the federal government after a vaccine exemption for trucking industry professionals expired, requiring truckers who cross the border into the United States to be vaccinated as of January 15.

As trucks from coast to coast arranged to drive together, organizers said their goal was to send a broad message to the federal government about pandemic restrictions which they feel violate our freedoms.

Over the weeklong trip, the initiative gained traction on social media. A fundraising campaign raised more than $6.5 million, and rallies have been organized to show support.

Canada Unity is an online forum and discussion group organizing the movement. The group bills itself as “Canada’s #1 solution to getting our lawful freedom of choice back” and says it “represents and defends a coalition of Concerned Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents, Indigenous Communities, Employers, Employees from private and government bodies, Institutions and Businesses at large.”

The group is opposed to restrictions and mandates related to COVID-19 for being “unlawful” and “discriminatory.”

However, despite substantial support coming from southeastern Manitoba, not everyone is in favour of lifting vaccine mandates. And reports of far-right and white nationalist groups joining the convoy clearly demonstrates that the initiative has attracted those with political aims other than to simply encourage the federal government to repeal vaccine mandates.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance has released a statement denouncing the convoy.

“The vast majority of the Canadian trucking industry is vaccinated with the overall industry vaccination rate among truck drivers closely mirroring that of the general public,” reads the statement. “Accordingly, most of our nation’s hard-working truck drivers are continuing to move cross-border and domestic freight to ensure our economy continues to function. The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways, and bridges. CTA believes such actions—especially those that interfere with public safety—are not how disagreements with government policies should be expressed.” 

Social Media Activity 

One thing the self-styled freedom convoy has already succeeded at doing is gaining attention through social media.

Some social media comments from convoy supporters claim that Canadians will see emptier grocery shelves, or even starve, due to a lack of truck drivers to bring food to grocery stores.

Others claim that the movement is unifying Canadians who are fed up with restrictions that have contributed to economic hardship by promoting a powerful message of hope for change, starting with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

Still others have latched on to the convoy as a vehicle to prompt riots, including violence similar to the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

One of the freedom convoy’s original organizers, Tamara Lich, serves as secretary for the Maverick Party, a federal party with roots in Alberta separatism. Lich has used Facebook to say that the positions of those with extreme political views don’t reflect the position held by the majority of the convoy’s supporters.

The convoy has attracted international attention with individuals in many countries sending supportive messages to the rally Canadians, including Donald Trump Jr., who encouraged the public to fight against “tyranny.”

Social media has also been used to organize many stops along the way to provide drivers with rest, food, and overnight accommodations. 

Political Support 

Many Conservative members of Parliament have come out in favour of the freedom convoy, including Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole and Provencher’s Ted Falk.

Falk says that he had the opportunity talk to the truckers and two of the promoters of Freedom Convoy 2022 when they drove through Winnipeg. He also says that he’s heard from people all across Canada who have contacted him at his constituency office saying that they are vaccinated but do not support mandates prompted by the pandemic restrictions.

“These are people that are law-abiding citizens who love Canada and want to make a peaceful statement as they are feeling unheard,” Falk says. “For the last couple months, trucking companies and truckers have been contacting me regarding their concerns for the forthcoming mandates. Our trucking industry is essential to Canada’s economic recovery and our supply chain. Conservatives understand how important it is to keep truckers on the road, which is why we have made a number of requests for accommodations… I support a peaceful and law-abiding convoy and have clearly stated that I am opposed to these discriminatory mandates.” 

Some Locals in Favour 

Maria Thiessen organized the Freedom Convoy Support Rally held at the Centre of Canada Park, a historical site north of Landmark. She says that she was inspired to get involved because of her extended family members who have gone through mental health challenges during the pandemic, as well as for personal reasons.

“I was sitting with my in-laws and we were talking about how it was their wedding anniversary [recently],” says Thiessen. “They have had a very hard time with these restrictions. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer last year and had suffered really badly at the hands of a very poor medical system. She was in the hospital strapped to a bed unable to move for five days and none of her family, not even her husband, could go see her. It really broke her.”

Thiessen says that she connected organizers of the freedom convoy with her desire to celebrate her in-laws’ wedding anniversary, but she never thought she would get over 700 responses on Facebook within two days.

“It really goes to show that people are really tired,” she says. “They’re ready to move on with their lives. They’re ready for these restrictions to go away.”

Thiessen says that the main message of the rally at the Centre of Canada Park is not to protest vaccinations.

“A lot of people think it’s just a bunch of anti-vaxxers. It’s not,” says Thiessen. “This protest is not protesting vaccinations, but the mandating of them. A lot of people I know and talked to on social media are fully vaccinated and just tired of what the government is doing.”

Thiessen uses the Canadian national anthem as an example that stands in contrast with how she feels the federal government is currently making decisions that take away the freedom of its people.

“The government should be here to serve the people, not force them into choices by taking away their freedoms if they don’t comply,” she says. “This rally is about people taking a stand against discrimination of people for their own personal choices. Our national anthem states, ‘God keep our land glorious and free.’ It’s in our anthem but so far from the truth in our country right now. We are not free. We have not been free for a long time. It’s time we take a stand and take back the freedom we have lost.”

The rally Thiessen organized on January 25 drew Manitobans from all over the southeast region, with people singing, chanting, and holding signs of support for the truckers along with messages for the Canadian government.

Thiessen says the energy was extremely positive.

“Everyone was happy, happier than I’d seen people in a long time,” Thiessen explains. “It’s almost like we were all family. People felt like they had a sense of hope and belonging. It was like -25 outside and that didn’t stop people from standing out there for hours, because it meant they could be a part of something that mattered to them. Everyone that was there had a personal reason to be there and they finally felt like they could do something to change the state of our country.”

Thiessen adds that the movement is necessary to ensure the views of people in western Canada are being fairly represented.

Despite the rallies attracting political extremists, the organizers of the freedom convoy, including Thiessen, say that the movement is committed to a peaceful protest.

“Sadly all political movements attract extremists,” says Thiessen. “The organizers of the freedom convoy have condemned all forms of violence and they are doing their part to ensure that the rally remains peaceful and lawful.”

Local business owner and convoy supporter Larissa Plett joined the group inside one of the semi-trucks being driven across Manitoba. Plett was part of a group of trucks that organized themselves to join the trek locally but not complete the entire journey to Ottawa.

“We just joined them for the day,” says Plett. “It was important to us to show support, so we drove to Brandon to welcome them to Manitoba, and then drove with them to Ontario, turned back around, and came home.”

Plett heard about the event being organized on Facebook one week before it was scheduled to come through Manitoba. Despite the short notice, she was blown away by the turnout at the Centre of Canada Park rest stop.

 “The energy and atmosphere was indescribable,” Plett says. “We saw thousands and thousands and thousands of people through the entire province who were all so incredibly supportive, loving, kind, and generous. There were tears from people in the convoy being overwhelmed from the generosity and support of total strangers. There were veterans standing at attention and saluting the convoy. There were First Nations people dressed in tribal clothing banging drums, singing, ‘Freedom!’ There was clapping and waving. There were so many people handing out food containers to people in the convoy! It was unreal to see so many people, from so many different backgrounds, all come together.”

For Plett, the message of the rally was less about protesting the vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers and more about a positive message of hope that would unite all Canadians.

“The message of the rally to me is hope and unity for our country,” she says. “We’ve been so divided, and our government has created huge amounts of that division. The truckers, and all the Canadians who came out to support them, are standing for everyone having the right to make their own decisions and have their own opinions, and for that to be good enough, regardless of what those decisions and opinions are.” 

Locals Against Convoy 

As the convoy has picked up steam, it’s expanded to become a much broader vehicle for people to express their outrage at the federal government and pandemic restrictions that they feel curb their freedoms. As Plett acknowledges, the convey has become about much more than the vaccine mandate for truckers which sparked it.

Krystal Jensen from Landmark says that trucking runs in the family and she has strong ties to the trucking industry, but she does not support the freedom convoy.

“My son’s father drives long-haul trucks and so do most of the men in his family,” Jensen says. “My aunt and uncle also have a multimillion-dollar farm and they utilize trucks and truckers regularly. I’ve also spent quite a bit of time riding along with my son’s father. So I have multiple ties to the trucking community, as well as with people who rely on the trucking industry to move their products.”

Despite having a long history of support for truckers, Jensen says the convoy is doing the opposite of its intended effect, because it is creating more disunity than ever.

“To be quite honest, the rally is the equivalent of a toddler having a tantrum when mommy says you have to eat your vegetables,” she says. “I’m completely against it, not only because I fully support the COVID-19 vaccine and am happy that mandates are rolling out, but also because of the negative ripple of effects that will happen in the wake of this rally. It’s going to have negative consequences for everyone.”

Jensen feels that it’s not up to truck drivers to decide their own rules.

“That’s not how the world works,” Jensen adds. “If you don’t want to get the vaccine, find a different line of work that doesn’t require it.”

Another resident from southeast Manitoba expressed disappointment over the convoy’s goal, although they requested to remain anonymous.

“Those who choose to support the convoy have that right, but any ideology that causes others harm is cause for concern,” they say.

 They feel that the movement has made unsubstantiated claims that the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions violate individual freedoms and compare the vaccine mandates to human atrocities such as the Holocaust.

“The comparison that’s being made between getting forced to take a vaccine and the very real discrimination and injustices that minorities have faced over the years is deplorable,” they add.

Other local residents with trucking connections declined to comment, citing concern for repercussions from their associates or community members, along with concern that commenting publicly only validated the position of convoy supporters. 

Convoy Reaches Ottawa 

Since arriving in Ottawa on January 29, the protest at Parliament Hill has been largely peaceful.

However, there have also been some unfortunate incidents shared on the news and in social media, including the defacement of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Terry Fox memorial. The owners of a local soup kitchen have claimed that a security guard and a client were both assaulted and harassed by protesters.

Those incidents are being investigated by police, although their enforcement goals have been aimed at de-escalating the situation and not starting confrontations.

Far-right paraphernalia has also been on display from some individuals, including Nazi symbols and at least one person flying the U.S.’s Confederate flag.

As the weekend came to a close, some organizers were signalling that they don’t plan to leave the capital until the government gives in to their demands.

Ottawa’s mayor has said that the cost of policing adds up to around $800,000 per day and that protesters should move out. He also cites the danger and ongoing inconvenience of city routes, including emergency routes, remaining clogged.

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So far, the federal government has insisted that they are not considering any change to the vaccine mandate for truckers.