Canadian truckers protest outside of Canadian Parliament on Jan. 28.
Column By Mike Bibb
Canadian truckers have had enough of the COVID lockdowns and mandates, and they’ve been convoying across the country to prove their point.
Arriving in the nation’s capital of Ottawa, thousands of 18 wheelers and assorted vehicles have clogged roads and highways in and around the city.
These demonstrations, unlike “peaceful” protests in the United States, haven’t resulted in uncontrollable riots, looting, and burning of private and government property. No deaths have been reported and the truckers have remained non-violent, in spite of the government’s increasing efforts to confiscate their fuel and cite them for petty offenses.
The 18-wheeler drivers’ primary complaints — burdensome COVID mandates and rising fuel costs. They simply wish to drive their trucks without all the ridiculous virus rules, restrictions, vaccine demands and refuel their rigs at a fair cost.
Doesn’t seem to be unreasonable requests.
For an economy and government depending upon the mobility of commerce, Canada’s approach to the situation appears disjointed. Is it really necessary truck drivers be vaccinated and remain masked inside the cabs as they travel from point A to point B? Are unruly COVID germs threatening to infect the unvaccinated turbochargers of Freightliner, Peterbilt, and Mack diesel engines? Are team drivers twice as likely to spread the virus, even if they’ve both been vaxxed, boosted, flu shot, triple masked, and only talk to each other by texting?
Maybe a little over the top, but the whole thing gets crazier by the day. Now, even GoFundMe donations to drivers have been complicated by government and legal entanglements.
Apparently, millions of dollars have been contributed to various “Freedom Convoy” support organizations, but distributing the funds has come under the watchful eyes of Canadian officials.
While there is vast grassroots support for the truckers, Ottawa Police have labeled the protests “unlawful demonstrations.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a speech before Parliament, mentioned the dreaded “N” word.
No, not the usual “N” word. Something worse – Nazi
Not unusual. Many citizen protests are often tagged as “unlawful” when the government is not in agreement or believes they could – in some way – threaten their supremacy.
If we’ve learned anything from the COVID pandemic, it’s that unscrupulous individuals will almost always abuse their authority in an effort to protect or gain more of it. Doesn’t matter the cause or excuse – a virus, social unrest, economic difficulties, racism, border madness, threats of war, protesting truck drivers, whatever – there will always be reasons for certain members of government to insist their way is the best way to proceed in resolving the problem.
Even after it becomes obvious their reasoning is not working and, in fact, may be worsening the issue.
After two years of COVID disruptions and mandates, ordinary blue-collar truck drivers can see the combined intelligence of super-smart academic professors and scientists, government officials, and corporate boards of directors haven’t yet figured out how to live with an unseen organism that’s probably been around as long as the world’s been turning.
Instead, they come up with profound conclusions we should wear masks that don’t work, inject vaccines that are experimental, declare jobs are “non-essential,” close schools, churches, and businesses, require some people to stay home, keep six feet apart when shopping, limit family get-togethers, don’t shake hands with friends and obey every dopy edict required by some department of government or pin-headed governor.
In the meantime, many purveyors of this twisted logic ignore their own proclamations in a hypocritical display of “Rules for thee, but not for me.”
Is it any wonder the public’s patience is about exhausted? Only so much of this nonsense can be tolerated without expecting some blowback.
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author.
