January 29, 2022 Convoy To Ottawa

Last Sunday a group of truckers and some of their friends packed up from Vancouver and headed to Ottawa to confront the government about the vaccine mandate for truckers to cross the border. Even though they can’t cross into the USA without being vaccinated.

Nothing makes sense these days.

They weren’t happy and they didn’t want to be told what to do. Since then this convoy has morphed into something else.

Something bigger.

We are all so very tired of the restrictions that have been placed upon us by our viral foe. Living in the coronaverse has become increasingly difficult. I think part of the problem is the anger and frustration has been directed in the wrong place. Our health care professionals do not have some darker agenda to control the population, they are merely doing a job and trying to protect a weak and broken system.

It’s the system that needs fixing, even without a pandemic.

I have struggled all week as to whether I am in favour of this convoy or not.

I do sympathize with the reason they are so frustrated. I’m frustrated too, I think we all are.

But is driving across this vast country using up resources and taking away from an already weakened supply chain the answer? 

It feels like a waste.

I know many people would disagree. I understand they are frustrated and fed up. This convoy is a lightening rod for the disavowed and disenfranchised. The people that don’t trust the government, that don’t trust the health care professionals. I’m fed up too. I don’t think we should continue with the vaccine passports or the mandates. They feel dirty and they feel like a bad way to force people to get vaccinated.

Once upon a time in the days before the internet and social media we were all called upon to roll up our sleeves for our country and get vaccinated for a number of diseases that used to kill millions across the globe. Very few questioned it and diseases like polio, small pox, measles and many others were eradicated. 

This time it is different.

But this virus is different.

Vaccinated people can still spread the disease and some are still dying. The vast majority of those in hospital and in the ICU are people that refused to get the vaccine. Should those of us that are vaccinated turn our backs on them and just let them die? That is not what a civilized society does. We look after the people that are sick, we look after the people that are underprivileged. At least that is what we are supposed to do.

It is a never ending cycle, people won’t get vaccinated and these same people are the ones dying. Dying for their “freedom”, What kind of freedom is that? 

And the convoy rolls on.

It arrived in Ottawa and ground the city to a halt. While our Prime Minister sits in isolation –  how very convenient. 

Where are all our leaders? 

The convey was organized by a woman that also wanted to see this country torn apart. She is someone that started the Wexit campaign to try to divide our country. Right there I found myself skeptical of the purpose of the convoy. Still I agree with many of the points. 

I think it is time to lift restrictions on us. Vaccine passports are offensive and should be stopped. Masking seems to be a way to hide from each other, yet when I see football games with tens of thousands of maskless people and there isn’t some huge spike in cases then why do we continue to have to wear masks? Why do we have to wear a mask to walk into a restaurant but take them off when we sit down… There are far too many confusing things going on.

It is no wonder that we have a convoy of frustrated people rolling across the country. 

When men like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan come out in support of the convoy I feel like there is something sinister going on. I am offended by people like that and it makes me wonder… are the people being manipulated to keep us divided? Elon Musk is one of the wealthiest people on the planet, he has profited from the virus more than most, does everyone really believe he cares about them? Joe Rogan has spewed misinformation across the airwaves for the last number of years, long before covid. Just listening to him makes my skin crawl. 

And the convoy gridlocks the capital.

There are so many good and wonderful people that have had enough of mandates and want change. Is this the way to get change? I wish it was. There are too many questions… and not enough answers.

If this protest somehow magically brings an end to mandates then the cost may be worthwhile. Like the last two years dealing with our viral foe, the cost of the cure seems higher than the price of the disease. But the mandates are made in the provincial capitals not Ottawa.

So how will this change things?

I hope that we will see an end to this soon, but I don’t have the answer. There is no magic pill that can bring our world together again. All we can do is try to understand each other and have patience. I understand the skepticism around the vaccine, but I believe it saved me from a much worse fate when I caught the virus.

Forcing people to do something has never worked in a free and democratic country. That is reserved for places like China.  

We need transparency and accountability. We need to rebuild trust in each other and in those that would govern us. I hope that we can find a leader to take control and show this country that we can do this together so that we can overcome the fear and hate and build a bridge between all sides.

We need some common sense to emerge…

Today I drove the highway to the mountain. Highway 97 had numerous cars and trucks waving the Canadian flag, it was amazing seeing the support the protest in Ottawa has gained.

Until I saw the F^ck Trudeau flag.

That lost me. I can’t support such a vile sentiment. Trudeau is not a great leader and he has made many mistakes but taking the maple leaf and putting it on a flag with such a vulgar statement is wrong. And offensive.

I can’t support a movement that has such a negative flag flying with a symbol I am proud of. Whoever thought that such a vulgar sentiment would garner wide spread support is as out of touch as Trudeau himself.

The next few days will show what if any effect this protest has. I do hope that some good comes out of it. I hope the cost is worth it. Whatever you feel about this movement I support your right to that opinion. 

This can’t end soon enough.